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For a lot of us, games supply the feeling and the emotion of conquering problems. Franchises like Grand Theft Auto and The Legend of Zelda have an explorative progression, providing escapism just like movies, books, art, vacations, and even cartoons.

So, what happens when a game or movie features the feeling of loneliness? Most titles that take this approach are more survival horror in nature, and that, for me, takes away from the notion of being truly on your own. Yes, you are by yourself, but somehow, you come into contact with other survivors. That brings more relief, which destroys the implied purpose.

See, loneliness isn’t about being solitary in an environment and looking for someone or something. It’s a mindset that can fill you with defeat. Knowing that, the stories we take our characters through in a game could force us into a state of loneliness.

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Silent Hill: Revelation appears to have little understanding of what made its source material compelling enough to warrant a cinematic adaptation in the first place.

While the first film was far from perfect, it at least captured the forlorn isolation that pervades the best entries in the series. These games tormented players with haunting sights and, more effectively, sounds, to create locations steeped in atmosphere that were deeply unsettling. For a time.

The first two games are widely recognized as landmark titles -- both within the horror genre and video games as a medium. They both feature broken, guilt-ridden protagonists descending through a hell of their own design, populated by antagonistic manifestations of their deepest fears.

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Mega Man is one of my favorite gaming series, but even I didn't know all of the obscure facts presented in Did You Know Gaming's newest, trivia-filled episode. I certainly didn't know that Capcom was originally going to call the game The Battle Rainbow Rock Man. Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

Anyway, you can discover all of the interesting Blue Bomber trivia for yourself by watching the video after the break.

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In the video games industry, like any other, few dominant factors always draw in the masses and dictate popular opinion. But for every hit, an unappreciated gem flies under our radars.

It’s a shame, really, because many of these games are true masterpieces. They do not deserve to go unnoticed. So how do these games fail to acheive such acclaim?

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After spending countless hours perfecting your massive mountain cave or 14-floor skyscraper in Minecraft, you probably want to show it off to your friends. But, if you have friends like mine, they're likely going to destroy your buildings if you share the world file with them.

Minecraft Reality is the perfect solution for people who don't want to risk seeing their structures destroyed or pay for expensive 3D printing. 

This app can upscale your creations and place them in real-world scenarios, and it's actually officially endorsed by Mojang, the developers behind Minecraft. The downside is that only newer iOS devices can utilize the app, so you'd need to have an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, new iPod touch, or a 3rd or 4th gen iPad. But, if you do own one of those devices, Minecraft Reality will only set you back $1.99.

[via Technabob]

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At this point in time, the gaming industry faces several truly juvenile problems that do not befit its status as one of the premier forms of entertainment in the world.

For example, rating systems have yet to be properly implemented, with many games being banned from certain countries when films and books with similar content are given a free pass.

Even in the United States, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has some problems with their designations. In my opinion, their ratings are not properly delineated to encompass all types and ranges of mature content.

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

We're taking the next four days off to spend time with our families and stuff our faces with delicious food. Head over to GamesBeat for regular video game coverage throughout the holiday weekend.

What games will you play today while the turkey roasts?

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You have no need to come up with a video game wish list this holiday season. Nintendo already did it for you. I found mine in last week’s Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times. The colorful flier asks “How Will You Play?”

The handout tasks you with taking its included stickers and inserting them into the Mad Libs-style letter on the back side. Then, you're supposed to give this “custom wish list” to a loved one … who’s ready to drop several hundred dollars on a gift for you. The silliest part of this little marketing gimmick, however, is it only really allows for two possible answers.

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I'm frustrated that the tradition of journalistic coverage on video games has now become a sort of joke told with Doritos in one hand and a cup of Mountain Dew in the other.

When I wanted to reply to community writer Nathaniel Dziomba's excellent article, "Games journalism never had any integrity" -- particularly on his point that he had led in with, what I imagined as a short snippet went beyond what I expected it to. His article and those brought together within community manager Layton Shumway's collection of Bitmob's thoughts on games journalism made me wonder: How did things get the way they are? And is there anything we can do about it?

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I fear I am getting too old to be getting into arguments in video game stores. When I was 8 years old, a clerk and I engaged in a comical debate about who was better: Link or Gordon Freeman. I hadn't played Half-Life yet, and really, I was probably too young to even enjoy the masterpiece that it is. I also assumed that Gordon was related to Cathy Freeman, a famous Australian athlete and, consequently, could not see the appeal. The whole encounter was actually quite endearing. 

Fast forward 13 years. Location: EB Games, Stone Road Mall. Situation: A gentleman, ironically wearing a faded Call of Duty T-shirt, is complaining about the "lame difficulty" of new-school games and the need for a return to more "classical" role-playing games. Response: complete over-reaction.

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The Community Spotlight features some of the best unedited articles that didn't quite make the front page. This week, we compare super-difficult RPG Dark Souls to an old-school classic, search for diversity in player protagonists, and more.

Dark Souls is the new Simon's Quest
By Bryant "B" Chambers

I've had a spotty relationship with Dark Souls myself, but every week I seem to read another article praising it. Here, B says that Dark Souls is what the Castlevania series should have evolved into. He lists a surprising number of correlations between the two. Insightful stuff.

Diversity in video games: Where did everyone go?
By Brielle Wesley

Brielle analyzes the characters and content of Max Payne 3, examining the racial makeup of the game's cast. She also looks at how many of those characters end up dead (and their respective races). Her findings are perhaps not surprising, especially for a Max Payne game, but they're interesting nonetheless.

A boy's world: Video games need more strong female protagonists
By Javy Gwaltney

In a similar vein, Javy is disappointed at the recent reveal that Grand Theft Auto V will feature three playable characters...and none of them are female. He says heroines like Jade from Beyond Good and Evil are far too rare. "We need those kinds of protagonists. ASAP. Not just for the sake of diversity but for storytelling," he writes.

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This article contains spoilers for Diablo III, Halo 4, and The Walking Dead: Episode 4 -- Around Every Corner.

This year, we’ve seen a surprising increase in the number of “chosen one” storylines in games. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Diablo III, and The Secret World (among others) all have you playing as characters who are somehow more important than everyone else in their respective worlds.

To tell you the truth, I’m kinda getting tired of it.

How cliché is the chosen-one concept by now? It’s been used in countless forms of media, especially since The Matrix became such a popular film. It just feels lazy to keep using it at this point. An idea as pervasive as this has trouble making an impact since it is so common. I often roll my eyes whenever the concept pops up in a narrative.

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