Greetings humans, Monki here with more information from the treehouse. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but it is insanely nice outside right now (mid 70s) and it is damn near impossible to not go outside and enjoy this weather. Therefore I will have to put off playing Rainbow Six: Vegas, Gears of War, and Project 8 until tonight when it drops back down to the 40s. So annoying when I have to go enjoy nature! Damnit!

So, not a whole hell of a lot going on this week, there is a wild rumor floating that Doug Lowenstein may be stepping down as the president of the ESA (Electronic Software Association) in the next few weeks. Jack Thompson was on Dateline claiming that he is not, in fact, the devil. (Rockstar is.) And last weekend I got to attend the coolest geek mecca event ever, Butt-Numb-a-Thon.

I won't go into major details, just suffice to say, Black Snake Moan is awesome (I swear that Sam Jackson is playing his character as if Jules from Pulp Fiction retired to a small Tennessee town after walking the Earth) and 300 rocked my ass in all kinds of ways. One little tidbit that Zack Snyder dropped was the fact there is a game being released for the PSP. WHY THE PSP???

Zack, listen to me, make a badass 300 video game and release it on the 360 and PS3. Imagine a game like Dynasty Warriors where it is you vs. hundreds of thousands of enemies. Wandering through massive hordes of baddies just hacking and slashing your way to glory. Talk to KOEI about it!

Or this. Remake GOLDEN AXE but with characters from 300! Anyone else remember that one?? Golden Axe 300! Sometimes I amaze myself.

A major step in the "video games are more than toys" drive has been accomplished. Will Wright, creator of "The Sims," "SimCity," and the upcoming "Spore" is being recognized by the Producers Guild of America for his achievements in media and technology. Pretty sweet. First you go on the Colbert Report then get an award. Awesome.

December 14, 2006, Los Angeles--The Producers Guild of America is pleased to announce that the 2007 Vanguard Award will be presented to celebrated game designer Will Wright whose creative vision has inspired some of the most critically acclaimed and popular video games in the short history of the medium. The Vanguard Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in new media and technology, will be presented to Wright at the 2007 Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, January 20th at the Century Plaza.

Deemed by Entertainment Weekly to be one "the 100 most creative people in entertainment" Wright draws on academic and artistic sources as the original producer of games such as the classic urban planning game, SimCity, and most notably, The Sims, which became the best selling PC game in history. As the originator of the "God Game", Wright introduced the concept of allowing players to control simulated individuals or groups of individuals by serving as an omnipotent entity that influences various scenarios within a game. This innovative perspective changed the face of the video game model and revolutionized the gaming industry. He is currently developing Spore—an epic journey that takes players from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space.

PGA Awards co-chairs, Mark Gordon and Hawk Koch commented, "Will Wright is the icon of the gaming industry and one of the great producers of entertainment content. His creations have transcended into feature films and continue to entertain a global audience. We are proud to have him be the first Vanguard recipient from the gaming universe."

"The PGA's decision to honor a game designer is a big moment for game designers such as myself, and those who would like to follow in our footsteps. The PGA is signaling that games are an integral part of the entertainment industry, and an art form worthy of recognition," said Wright. "For that reason, I am incredibly honored to be the first game designer to receive the Vanguard award."

The PGA will also honor Ron Meyer with their Milestone Award. Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher will receive the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the Norman Lear Producers Guild Achievement Award in Television. Ken Ehrlich will be honored with the Visionary Award, and the Stanley Kramer Award will be presented to An Inconvenient Truth.

Previous recipients of the Vanguard Award include George Lucas, James Cameron, Pixar Animation Studios and AOL Chairman and CEO Jon Miller.

The Producers Guild will announce their 2007 nominees for Producer of the Year in Theatrical Motion Picture, Animated Film, Long-Form and Non-Fiction Television on January 4th, 2007.

Congrats Will! Now just release Spore for the 360 and PS3 and all will be happy! Of course, I'll take SimCity on the DS or on the Wii too, that would be pretty sweet.

So, I should have mentioned this a few weeks ago, but to help fix the negative image that predominates the traditional "video game nerd" Penny Arcade has set up a charity organization called Child's Play.

Child's Play has been around for a few years now and has helped raise more than 2 million dollars for children's' hospitals all over the world. Here is a brief snippet from their site:

Here's the deal.

For three years now, we've set up and organized a charity called Child's Play. We set it up because we were angry the media decided to blame all the world's problems on games and gamers. Basically they said that gamers were bad people, and we thought that wasn't right. Apparently, you guys agreed: through Child's Play you sent over a million dollars in toys, games, and cash to the sick kids in children's hospitals around the world.

That was awesome. You guys have proven over and over again that you are an overwhelming force, and you really came through and made a real difference to the millions of kids that children's hospitals care for each year. So we're doing it again this year, only this time we've expanded Child's Play to more hospitals around US and the globe so you can send toys to a hospital a little closer to home.

Child's Play works the same as last year. With the help of hospital staff, we've set up gift wish lists full of video games, toys, and movies. You can go to each hospital's list and buy a toy, and that toy will be sent to the hospital. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape. Imagine being stuck alone in a hospital over the holidays, getting something from a fellow gamer would really raise their spirits. Some of the stuff the hospital will give away for kids to keep, while other gifts (like consoles) will be kept by the hospital for patients to use throughout the year.

We are arguably the largest community of gamers on the internet. The important word there being community. We are not a faceless corporation and you are not just a number tracked by a database and then relayed to hungry advertisers. You guys have proven yourselves to be a powerful force when stirred into action. Here is your opportunity to use that power to do some real good.

So, do something good with some of that holiday bonus and help a few kids have a better time while they are in the hospital.

DONATE. It will make you feel good and it impresses the ladies.

I'm totally intrigued by this new game Dark Sector. I mentioned this one a few weeks ago in another "Pretty Images..." section with a trailer that blew my ass off. Well here is some gameplay footage that looks absolutely ridiculous. I gotsta get me one of those blades.

Flaming blade of doom!! I'm working with some folks who are involved with the game to try to get you kids more info, so stay tuned.

I know you geeks love your Star Wars, so here is the trailer for a new portable Star Wars game. Star Wars: Lethal Alliance. It seems this one takes place somewhere before Episode IV? All I know is you get to play as a Twi'lek, and those chicks are hot. This trailer on the other hand.... ehhh...

As always, thanks to Game Trailers who have tons of cool stuff to check out.

I have a nephew, or cousin....okay, he's my cousin's kid. 2nd cousin? Anyway, he's about 3 now. I figure it is time for him to start frying his head with video games.

I got my start on Super Mario Bros. when I was about 6 (and I played Ikari Warriors at the local grocery store when I was about 4) and I picked it up pretty quickly. Now here is my question; are games too technical for children nowadays?

Hell, I played Rainbow Six Vegas for about two hours before really grasping controls and I'm in my mid 20s with two decades of gaming experience. (No, I'm not saying I want a 3 year old to play RS:V, I'm just creating an example of difficulty.)

I don't want to get him started on Pokemon cause I know that crap would get old fast...

Thinking about it now, what the hell happened to the ultra-simple ultra-fun video games? Super Mario Bros. had TWO BUTTONS to press. Run and jump. (and the D-Pad too... yeah yeah I know) Do any games exist now on major platforms that are this simple?

I may end up just having to buy a Wii for the kid and get him started on the virtual console classics. That is kind of sad, really. Although teaching him how to play Super Mario Bros. or Joust or 1941 will be fun. Have developers completely abandoned this market?

I propose a challenge to developers. Create a game that can be played by both an adult and a child at the exact same time. A cooperative video game where the child is in control of a very very simple aspect of the game (he/she has to open doors or just provides simple assistance and cannot be harmed) and the adult (or experienced gamer) actually can play along and have a bit more difficult of a time getting through some stages. Varying levels of difficulty for both players so that both can enjoy. How awesome would it be to sit down with your kid and actively play a video game together?

Come on developers, this could be very cool. Hell, it might already exist. If so, email me and I'd love to take a look at it.

How many of you are still running around trying to find consoles for Christmas? You've got a little less than two weeks left to get your hands on the Wii or the elusive PLAYSTATION 3. Best of luck to all of you shoppers.

I will be holing up over the next couple of weeks catching up on my game playing. I have got a lot to get through and I'm also trying to buy a house at the same time. Loads of fun.

Until next week though, I leave you with something that made me laugh. I would embed the video, but I know how Harry doesn't like looking at women in anything other than cheerleader outfits, so I'll just give you the link instead.

Is that a cue ball in your pocket?. Totally awesome. Check out the trailer. Maybe gamers are just pervs? Oh well.

Until next week, back up the tree I go!

-Monki