When you can feel a character, not just play as him. It's all about that moment.

I was recently going through some long-untouched games in my library, two in particular. First was Resident Evil 4 (not that old, but I haven’t played it in around four months). As I traveled along the path of Leon’s adventure, I eventually found myself at the cabin that left all who played it stunned. If you’ve played Resident Evil 4, you know the one. A horde of murderous villagers were attacking me all at once. I had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide – I was trapped within a would-be grave of spoiled wood. As I unleashed clip after clip of artillery, I could feel my heart beating, my hands shaking with each release of a round, my eyes narrowing in the hopes of overcoming the seemingly unbeatable challenge. Then it happened…

Despite games becoming more mainstream, gamers are still left to feel like outcasts with the broader culture.

What are your hobbies?

Almost everyone has been asked this—perhaps on an application or when first meeting someone. It is also my least favorite personal question and has always made me squirm. I can't leave this space empty... What, you want me to stretch the truth? Hmm, well, I play golf five times a year, so I'll put that down. And I ski ten days a year, so that's another interest. Oh, I used to act and play instruments in high school, too…

I am an honest person—perhaps to a fault. So why am I compelled to tip-toe around video games? Sure, computers are a casual hobby, though I fail to keep up as well as many of my associates. Computers are my job, and I'm hardly a hobbyist programmer. Why do I always dodge writing down my real hobby? Sports are considered admirable pastimes, as are reading and clubs (some of which have no true merit). Heck, most colleges have multiple film appreciation classes! I know the games I play have more positives than the old stand-by of hand-eye coordination, so why does listing "video games" as a hobby seem like such a bad move?

How much will lack of HD really hurt Nintendo, and what can they do about it?

Note: a lexicon of technical terms can be found at the bottom of this article.

According to recent statements by Nintendo officials, Revolution will apparently not feature HD support. There are still many questions such as whether or not this also excludes 480p. However, there’s little doubt that the lack of HD is a huge PR problem for Nintendo. At the same time, it may not be much of an issue for today’s average consumer. Yet, throughout the Revolution’s lifespan, the penetration of HD will increase steadily, spurred on by HD-capable consoles offered by Nintendo’s competitors, along with plummeting HDTV prices. Will it grow enough to make a significant difference to a large enough number of consumers? It’s certainly possible.