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Presumably you are a gamer. Well, so am I. But does that fact alone connect us?

Computer and video games have captivated a majority of the world's population. Modern studies estimate that approximately 40% of the planet maintains some monthly interaction with video games. With so many gamers, it's difficult to parse the industry's world-wide community and find a concrete, anthropological culture beneath all the button mashing and mouse clicking.

While the gaming audience continually expands, we have to ask ourselves if an 18-year-old World of Warcraft raid leader shares any common values or attitudes with a middle-aged housewife who casually plays Peggle. In this three-part feature, I'll try to find out whether gamers have transcended the loose, insecure bonds of tribalism, and if they have gained a substantial cultural body. I'll admit that I'm skeptical about the complexity of the gaming community, but I could be wrong -- I usually am.

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Editor's note: Frank continues in his quest to improve the image of gaming by helping dispel the myth that all video games contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle. You don't have to look very far to realize that fitness gaming has become its own money-making genre, though I do question the true motives of the publishers of some of the derivative, copycat products we're starting to see. -Jay

Almost every gamer who started playing games at a young age got the dreaded question from their parents: "Why don't you put down those games and go outside and play?" That question is just a symptom of one of the most prevalent and damaging slights against games -- that they are simply a passive form of entertainment that forces kids to sit mindlessly in front of their TVs and grow fat.

This imagery has been made popular from studies that say that "every hour children play video games or watch television may double their risk of obesity" and claim that they can "present a strong association between playing electronic video games and childhood obesity in school-aged...children."

Even our President has jumped on the gaming-scapegoating bandwagon a few times. He has stated in a number of speeches, from talking to the NAACP to his State of the Union address, that parents need to "put away the Xbox." While his message of getting parents involved in their kids' learning processes is not a bad one, he is guilty of furthering the stigma that gaming offers no benefit to players.

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Full disclaimer: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures flew me out and put me up in a hotel to see an early screening of the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and to do this interview.

They said I had 15 minutes with Jerry Bruckheimer at 3:30 pm -- right before the premiere screening of this summer’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time at the 2010 ShoWest conference in Las Vegas, NV. But what Hollywood wants to do and what Hollywood can do are two different things. After several reschedulings and waiting for TV interviews, photo ops, and other interviews to wrap up, I finally got to meet the famed (and busy!) movie producer around 7:30 pm.

I had a bunch of questions for Bruckheimer about his new game studio, mixing the worlds of motion pictures and electronic entertainment, and, of course, his new film based on the long-running Prince of Persia series. Only one problem: One of the publicists told me my 15 minutes would have to be five. Hey, he has Extra, People magazine, and Robin Leach waiting to talk to him still -- I was amazed he was going to take time to chat with a gaming-enthusiast outlet at all.

That's a lot of pressure, conducting a full Q&A in under five minutes. But amazingly enough, that turned out to be more than enough time. I only needed one minute and 30 seconds to finish up with the most succinct guy I’ve ever interviewed….

Bitmob: So...what does Jerry Bruckheimer know about video games?

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Warning, this Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days trailer has a censored, naked (digital) lady in it...I don't know if you're into that kind of thing.

Video Blips:

• The way that sources of light show up on screen leads me to believe that this video was "shot" on a handheld camcorder. I'm impressed that whoever filmed this footage for Kane & Lynch was able to keep such a steady hand. [GameVideos]

Continue after the break for a look at Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Trials HD's amazing/brutal hits and misses, and a preview of Mirror's Edge on the iPhone.

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The PlayStation 3 may claim to cure cancer with Folding@Home, but can games really make the world a better place?

At this year's TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design), Jane McGoniga gave a presentation on how "gaming can make a better world." While playing games and saving the world at the same time may seem to be a little far-fetched, companies such as Foursquare and Gowalla have seen success in turning the monotony of everyday life into metagames.

Would you prefer a more immersive alternate reality or a more immersive reality?

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I was overjoyed when I learned that Red Dead Redemption will feature cattle herding. Then I promptly dropped another coin into my "phrases that cause face-palms" money jar.

Video Blips:

• The spaghetti-Western vibe runs strong in this featurette for Red Dead Redemption. Perhaps the next game won't include the standard grizzled loner protagonist with only a gun and a horse to keep him company. [GameTrailers]

Continue after the break for the opening cut-scene to Lego Harry Potter, some gravity-defying chaos in the Just Cause 2 launch trailer, and a commercial for the PlayStation Move that would make Doc Brown proud.

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Editor's note: Brian's choices in this second edition of the Ultimate JRPG Buyers' Guide for RPG Haters show that Japanse role-playing games are more than just grindy dungeon crawls. Never judge a genre by its stereotype. -Jason

One day isn't a long time, so unless you're one of my robot employees, you probably haven't had the chance to complete any of the JRPGs I suggested in the first portion of my Ultimate JRPG Buyers' Guide For RPG Haters. Even if you were able to devote a few hours of your day to Super Mario RPG, Mother 3, or Terranigma, perhaps you weren't as enthralled by those titles as I was.

Fortunately for those of you I've failed, I'm here with another round of unique JRPGs that may temporarily distract you from the antics of Marcus Fenix and Dom.

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Editor's note: Let's hear it for -- no, let's drink to -- timeliness! -Demian

Saint Patrick's Day is a holiday that calls for debauchery. Whether it be car bombs, drinking until you can’t feel feelings, or getting into rowdy ruckuses with guys who wear way too much green, the Irish stereotype calls for much celebration. While too much celebration may give the law a reason to lock you in the hold, there’s certainly no reason not to imbibe a bit of the spirit and allow these Irish video game characters to help you tip your hat to the holiday (c'mon, you try and make that segue):

Atlas (Bioshock)

I hope I don’t have to throw a spoiler warning on a game that came out almost three years ago, but, if for some reason you haven’t played it yet, go ahead and skip over this character, as it involves a pretty huge spoiler for the game.

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If only there was a way to print those digital Final Fantasy 13 pictures, then you could make your own physical art book for under 10 bucks! 

News Blips:

Square Enix releases the Final Fantasy 13 Larger-Than-Life Gallery, a digital art book, for the iPhone/iPod touch. The app features high-resolution images of the FF13 world, a clock and calendar function, and costs $8.99. I'm left a bit confused how something on the pocket-sized iPhone could be considered "larger than life" -- whose life? 

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I'm a little late on this month's top 10, but thanks to Andrew Hiscock (himself a familiar face in the top 10), I now have the 10 most-read community submissions from the month of February.

Did you make the cut? There's only one way to find out!

10) The Not-So-Secret History of Video Game Peripherals -- Jeffrey Michael Grubb   

9) Breaking Mafia Wars: Casual Gaming Meets Hardcore Gamer -- Sam
Bardelson        

8) BioShock 2 Review PS3 -- Michael Wenzel         

7)  Five Time Wasters That Are Worse Than Playing Video Games -- Brian Shirk      

6) Dudebro II: The Birth of a Meme and How NeoGAF Began Its First Video Game -- Andrew Hiscock    

Hit the jump for the rest of the top 10

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Editor's note: We all have a different spin on it, but it seems like most people tend to game for escapism or empowerment. Is that good? You know what, I'm going to think about that more after I play some SteamBirds.... -Demian

Bitmob is a unique place. I know that isn’t really a special statement or even something that hasn’t been said before, but it's true. We have a number of different people from multiple locales all working towards a common goal: intelligent discussion about the entertainment and technology that we all love.

Because of our differences, we're in a position to learn about and explore those cultures, viewpoints, and backgrounds that we may not be familiar with.

We’re all here because we love to play video games and discuss the culture surrounding them. But the question this edition of Mob Rule seeks to answer is: “Why did we fall in love with gaming in the first place?”

So without any further fluffing on my part, here are the answers your fellow community members came up with:

Andrew J. Hiscock says: I play video games because I need something I can control. Few things in life provide the rules, the constraints, and the agency a video game does. You have distinct tasks, and the ability to perform them. I love achievements, beating games, and side quests, because these are minor goals that I complete with relative ease. Conversly, I don't control my job, my household, or much of what I do in my day-to-day routine. Not that I'm complaining -- most of the time I'm happy to be along for the ride.

But video games provide a balance for me. For a small portion of each day, I am at the helm and in full control. In the grand scheme of things video games are unimportant, sure, but even if the rewards are illusionary, they are nonetheless rewarding. The feedback loop in games is great enough that I can always rely on it, even if I never get that in real life most of the time. 

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The motion control frenzy that's underway within the industry is no laughing matter -- the risk of striking embarrassing poses in your underwear in order to swat a virtual tennis racquet is more prevalent than ever before.

News Blips:

Speaking with IndustryGamers, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime is skeptical about the PlayStation Move. Citing a lack of motivation from consumers to invest into the PS3 for its motion controls, Fils-Aime also remarked upon the industry's inattentiveness to the consumer perspective. "One of the things I find very interesting about this industry is that people don't seem to want to look at propositions from the consumer viewpoint. And I think that's very troubling." Take cover -- this could be the start of a nerdy slap-fight between Sony and Nintendo.

Game designer Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War) gives his support to Microsoft Natal. In an interview with IGN, the design director for Epic Games (who is also known as CliffyB) expressed his interest in motion controls, including Microsoft's Natal project that utilizes unique tech from Epic. "I think Natal’s going to be very big, and Microsoft’s using our technology on a number of products to make Natal-based video games."

To mark the June 8 release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Sony will be releasing a limited edition "spirited green" PSP bundle. Along with the game, the bundle includes a vibrantly green PSP, a 2GB memory stick, and a coupon for a free PSN movie. Standard in-game bonus content -- such as exclusive camouflage and weapons -- rounds out the bundle deal. No word yet on the possibility of the new PSP giving gamers a refreshing mint flavor when held. [1UP]

Kotaku reports that freezing issues are cropping up within the Western release of Final Fantasy 13. Players have claimed that in-game actions are impossible whilst still being able to access the various menus, coupled with extremely loud sound effects. While not a widespread problem, there were similar issues with the Japanese version of the game. Wait a minute -- am I lead to believe that there's more to this game than flashy lights and loud noises?

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

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