In the past we've only publicized meet-ups that writers will be attending, but there are a healthy number of reader organized meet-ups that are coordinated in our forum. I've been intending to highlight some of these meet-ups for sometime now, but I'm going to finally take some time away from my work behind the scenes to do so.
I've been asked to relay information about two meet-ups coming up, one in Chicago and the other in San Jose.
From MuddBstrd:
The Video Games Live! concert is coming to San Jose on Aug 26. I was thinking this might make a great event to have a SF Bay Area meet-up.
The event is part of the Nvision 08 conference, but you don't need to attend the conference to buy a ticket. Also, seating is first-come, first-served, so if we meet up beforehand we can sit together as a group.
If you're interested, post a reply. I've already bought a ticket, so I'm going regardless.
Philippe writes:
I'm writing to say that we in Chicago are having our next monthly meetup, coinciding with Chicago Pride, on Sunday 29 June at 5:00 p.m. at Guthrie's Tavern, 1300 W. Addison St. It's our eighteenth meetup.
These notices and related discussion can be found on our forum. Click here for Chicago and San Jose.
Consoles/handhelds you own: NES, SNES, Gamecube, PSX, PS2, Gameboy (the original brick), Nintendo DS, PSP
Favorite console/handheld: PS2
Favorite game genre: Role Playing Games
Games currently being played: Jeanne D'Arc, Silent Hill Origins, World of Warcraft
Top 5 favorite games: Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy Tactics, Shadow Hearts, Silent Hill 3, Valkyrie Profile
Other stuff about you: Whenever I'm not playing video games, practicing circus moves at the trapeze studio, or playing around in the kitchen, I enjoy reading science fiction and teaching high schoolers about English literature.
Consoles/handhelds you own: PS3, XBox 360, Wii, DS, & PC games.
Favorite console/handheld: No favorite, they each have their strengths & weaknesses.
Favorite game genre: Platformer, but I like a variety, just never really tried MMORPG games.
Games currently being played: Mario Galaxy, Burnout Paradise, Assassin's Creed
Top 5 favorite games: Donkey Kong Jr, Tomb Raider, Ratchet & Clank FTOD, Dead Rising, Uncharted.
Other stuff about you: I've always loved video games since I was a kid, especially my first console, the Odyssey2, and my second system the Colecovision. I like programming dance music also. I had a remix I made that got played all summer of 2006. That was cool to hear my music in a club. Also love photography as a hobby, and I think I do a decent job for the most part. Gadgets rule my world. Oh, and Gaygamer is the first page I read when I get home from work.
If you haven't yet visited our forum, you are missing out. Although we are currently working on a new design that will better integrate the forum with the main site, it is still a great place to make new friends and to discuss everything from the posts here to hot dating tips to exchanging SSB Brawl codes to chatting in our IRC chatroom. Since we have now passed 100,000 forum posts, I thought I would take a moment to encourage more of you to come join the conversation. We have been witnessing incredible growth recently. Who knows, maybe you could even meet the life long gamer of your dreams.
I do not know if fifteen year old Lawrence King played video games, nor do I know if Brandon McInerney, the boy who murdered him, did either. Of course, I would not be the least bit surprised if either or both of them did. However, I am not about to pull a Jack Thompson stunt here and try to blame video games for this, because this was a killing based on hate. (I suppose this tragedy is too small time for ol' Jack to speak out about, or maybe he is afflicted with the same hatred as Brandon.)
When I first heard the news about young Mr. King, I wanted to rush out and make sure you all knew about it, but until we could verify the real nature of the crime, we didn't want to make baseless assertions. However, now it is well accepted to have been a hate crime, and I am compelled to saying something about it. The vast majority of you can probably identify in some way with Lawrence and his 8th grade turmoil. It is a turbulent time even for those who don't carry the social burden of being gay. Many of us are pressured into silence, but Lawrence wasn't. He was allegedly even so bold as to ask the boy who would later be his killer to be his valentine.
I've been really upset that this pointless killing has received minimal attention in the media. However, I am not alone in breaking the silence. GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, has joined with Logo to produce a public service announcement featuring some recognizable faces who are also speaking out.
"We applaud Logo, MTV Networks and the caring celebrities who starred in this PSA for recognizing the need to speak out against anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment," said GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. "Logo and MTV Networks have been longtime supporters of ensuring safe schools for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Hopefully this PSA will help raise awareness as we prepare for the National Day of Silence on April 25 that this year will be held in memory of Lawrence King ...
For those of us who had childhoods way back in the late 60's and early 70's, or for young'uns who appreciate the Boomerang reruns, Eidos Interactive is bringing retro Hanna-Barbera classic Wacky Races to the Wii and DS.
Players can race through a variety of cross-country rallies from the TV series, shooting for the title of World's Wackiest Racer. Racers can also earn "Wacky Powers" to use against their opponents by collecting items on the racetrack.
No word yet if we'll be able to play as Penelope Pitstop driving her Compact Pussycat 05, but I know plenty of boys around the castle who are already pulling out their pink driving getups.
There is a sale on Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS over at Amazon. It's marked down to $27.99 which includes free shipping! If you haven't played this outstanding game yet, buy a copy through the GayGamer store and help keep the site running.
I recently upgraded my wireless network and I hadn't yet updated my Wii with the new settings. However, following all of today's announcements, I figured today would be a good time to do it and download all the updates. Everything looked good until I tried to launch the Internet Channel. Each time I would launch, it would cause the whole system to freeze. I was forced to power off the Wii each time. I must have tried four or five times. Is anyone else having trouble with it?
Sure I know it's still cheating, but completing Super Mario 64 in under seven minutes is still pretty amazing. Player Swordless Link & AKA completes the game in this tool-assisted speedrun in 06:47.27.
Ever wonder if Mario was actually a ninja wearing blue overalls? Now you know.
This run completes the game after collecting 1 star. It was originally intended that the player collect a minimum of 70 to finish, but a few bugs allow Mario to pass through doors and barriers that require a minimum number of stars to open. Creating the fastest Super Mario 64 run was previously believed to require 16 stars, but this run manages to glitch through the Dire Dire Docks door without using MIPS the rabbit.
Mario has a very wide range of skills for mobility and some of the physics of this game are easily abused by an experienced player.
This is the antithesis of those who collect every last star. Although my game play falls somewhere in between, I'm fascinated by both ends of the spectrum. In some respects finishing a game almost before you start seems to defeat the purpose, but then we're talking about a game that many of us have played countless times. After the hundredth or thousandth time of playing a game, why not exploit the bugs to see just how fast you can finish the game? Besides, it's entertaining to watch. There are still elements of luck and skill in this segment. Can you discern which is which? How do you feel about cheats?
Some people have been reporting difficulty logging into the forum after the security upgrade. Although I have mentioned this a few times in various comment threads, if any of you are affected, you should clear all gaygamer.net cookies and try logging in again. This has worked for everyone who has tried it.
Maybe it's just me, but I find the prospect of fully wired and wireless airplanes to be a thrilling prospect. With the launch of San Francisco based Virgin America, gamers can have in-flight LAN parties!
You can plug in to 110v power at every seat.
Ethernet at every seat connecting to a planewide network.
First U.S. airline with mood lighting.
3000 MP3s onboard every flight.
Order fresh food when you want it, from the screen at your seat.
Over 25 pay-per-view movies on demand.
The guys over at BoingBoing got to take a flight and describe all the above and more with photos:
Are you gay and working in the games industry? If you are interested in networking with other folks like you within the industry, try joining the Gay Game-Industry Professionals mailing list.
Click here for all the details!
If you haven't yet visited our 
I do not know if fifteen year old Lawrence King played video games, nor do I know if Brandon McInerney, the boy who murdered him, did either. Of course, I would not be the least bit surprised if either or both of them did. However, I am not about to pull a Jack Thompson stunt here and try to blame video games for this, because this was a killing based on hate. (I suppose this tragedy is too small time for ol' Jack to speak out about, or maybe he is afflicted with the same hatred as Brandon.)
For those of us who had childhoods way back in the late 60's and early 70's, or for young'uns who appreciate the Boomerang reruns, Eidos Interactive is bringing retro Hanna-Barbera classic Wacky Races to the Wii and DS. 
There is a sale on Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS over at 
I recently upgraded my wireless network and I hadn't yet updated my Wii with the new settings. However, following all of today's announcements, I figured today would be a good time to do it and download all the updates. Everything looked good until I tried to launch the Internet Channel. Each time I would launch, it would cause the whole system to freeze. I was forced to power off the Wii each time. I must have tried four or five times. Is anyone else having trouble with it?
Some people have been reporting difficulty logging into the 
Maybe it's just me, but I find the prospect of fully wired and wireless airplanes to be a thrilling prospect. With the launch of San Francisco based 
