A Guide to Gamer Fashion

Have you ever felt inappropriately dressed for your respective gaming endeavors? Ever played God of War in a pair of Garfield slippers and thought, “Hey, that’s just not right?” Maybe even gone a round of DDR in those one-size-up pants you vowed to only wear on “fat days,” but wore them anyway because they were your only clean pants, which ultimately ended up around your ankles by the time you were finished playing—or worse yet, those “skinny jeans” that were way too tight to begin with that made you pass out before you were even done dancing? It’s okay. We’ve all had those moment. I’m here for you.

Being comfortable when you game is an absolute necessity, but what people fail to realize is that mental and physical comfort are equally important. Sure, you can slap on a pair of boxer shorts, turn on your Xbox, and call it a night, but is that really going to get you in the right mood for the adventures that lie before you? Probably not, which is why I have contrived the following guide of “looks” to assist you in “feeling” the game:

The Vorhees: Let’s face it: games like Manhunt can be hella creepy, and I have just the solution to make you a little more at ease during such gameplay. Remember that old adage, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?” Well, here you have it. This look is a perfect example of that. Chances are that “The Vorhees” will make you feel right at home during the scariest of games, all the while frightening off any burglars that might’ve considered looting your house while you were too busy gaming to notice.

The Full Metal Jacket: What’s the point of a first-person shooter like Call of Duty? To make you feel like you’re actually in the game, of course! Why not take that to the next level by actually looking the part to further your immersion? Actually donning the same garb as your character in the game will help you “feel” the part, and also help you gain cool points with all of your LARPing friends. On the other hand, it will probably make the rest of your friends back away from the room slowly and never talk to you again—which I suppose isn’t all that bad either, if you were looking for some more “alone time” with your console.

The Fluffy Friend: Games likes Nintendogs and Petz were designed to make you feel warm and fuzzy, with all of those big-eyed, furry friends prancing about your screen. Thus, why not feel warm and fuzzy in the most literal of senses whilst playing? Slap on a pair of animal ears, gather up your favorite stuffed animals, and play away. Bonus: after you’re done, you can attend the nearest anime con in the same get-up and be the cat’s meow (ha!)

Felonious Fashionista: When you play a game like GTA, the whole point is to feel bad. What better to get you in the mood for mischief than a ski mask? Nothing says “I am SO freaking ready to steal some cars and shoot some people” than something worn at a heist. Just make sure to take it off before driving to 7-11 to get the mid-game Slurpee, lest you’ll end up serving some unwarranted jail time.

Anonymous: There are simply too many games to mention where this black bar will likely make you feel better about yourself. Also an alternate look for Petz, if you choose to play it around other people. Warning: may not be enough to shield you from the shame felt after playing Barbie Horse Adventure.

Or…..(drumroll please)

…you can simply be comfortable. Groundbreaking advice, I know.

Take heed.

A Crock of Boll

If I were to interview Uwe Boll, notoriously bad director of films like BloodRayne and Alone in the Dark, I would ask him one simple question: why? Why continue to make film adaptations of video games that are received with nearly unanimous spite? Why perpetually bastardize so many games with avid followers that will meet even a single incongruence with feral teeth, let alone a whole cauldron-full of them? And perhaps most importantly, why are people still allowing you to make these films anymore in the first place? Why?!?

Boll truly has to be one of the most hated directors alive. An online petition asking him to stop his tyranny has obtained over 360,000 signatures (he promises to stop making films when it reaches the one million mark), and Paul Sams of Blizzard laughed in Bolls’ face when he inquired about doing a WoW movie, saying, “We will not sell the movie rights, not to you…especially not to you.” Ouch! Yes, his reputation has spread far and wide, with both gamers and game-makers alike steering clear of this madman.

The Most Dangerous Halloween Costumes for a Gamer

Halloween is a time of year when gamer imaginations can run rampant. How could a fan turn down an opportunity for cosplay outside of a con without judgmental snickers from the outside world? Truly, Halloween is the ideal holiday for gamers to be their dorkiest, but it can also be the most dangerous if their fashion sense is askew. Thus, I bring to you a list of game-related costumes that you should not attempt under any circumstances:

Black Hole (Beautiful Katamari): An object that devours everything in its path might be good for playing tricks and gathering treats, but it would get old reeeally fast. What do you do when you’ve suddenly sucked your neighbor’s dog Scruffy who isn’t potty-trained into your void? Or worse, that creepy guy down the street’s jalopy of a car that isn’t worth anything but likely has some incriminating materials in it? Being a black hole ain’t what it’s crack up to be, folks.

Wii: Considering how many injuries this thing has caused as a stationary console, I can only imagine how much it could injure you whilst trying to be one. The only saving grace would be if someone attempted to assault you (which they likely would due to the lameness of your costume), and you were able to use your Wiimotes in a nunchaku-like fashion to defend yourself.

Big Daddy (BioShock): Despite how jaw-droppingly cool this outfit would be if done correctly, it’s probably the worst choice you can make for practicality. First off, deep sea diving suits are clunky. Good luck trying to bust a move at a Halloween party in that thing! Visibility is also impaired, so if you do happen to trip and fall in that outfit (which you will), it’ll take about five men to pull you back up. Oh, and for those of you thinking that it would be cute to take your niece around trick-or-treating as your Little Sister, think again: hopefully no ADAM-hungry fans of the game see her and decide to go a-harvesting. Yikes!

Jack Thompson: Unlike the aforementioned costumes, this one is dangerous not because of what you might do to yourself or others, but rather what OTHERS might do to YOU. Sure, it’s perfectly normal to dress up as horrifying, evil people for this holiday, but none strike a sensitive chord the way in which this game-hating lawyer will amongst your friends. Dracula, Wolfman, Satan….pffft. Jack Thompson? Watch out. You’ll get tarred and feathered—and then you’ll look like a dirty chicken, which isn’t a brilliant costume idea either. Double fail!

Merchant (Resident Evil 4): A word to the wise: on a night when children are happily cavorting about and eagle-eyed parents are on the prowl, you DO NOT want to go around as a guy that whips open his trench coat, asking people if they want anything. Even if you didn’t have any weapons on you and instead flaunted perfectly innocent candy for the kiddywinkies, you’d get the cops called on you faster than you could say “trick or treat.”

Mii: If you dress up like your Mii, I will personally smack you, and you won’t be able to fight back effectively because you’ll have balls for hands (tee). Nobody should aspire to be a bobble-headed version of themselves to any capacity.

Please, for the sake of yourself and those around you, don’t be a n00b when it comes to your costumes. It’s all fun and games until you lose a limb or end up in jail thanks to some wardrobe malfunctions. Heed my advice wisely, and you are certain to have a happy Halloween!

The Mega Man Villain Hall of Shame

At this point, one could say Mega Man is a seasoned pro at beating robots, stealing powers, and running around in blue Speedos. With that many games under his belt, however, it’s no surprise that every adversary he’s encountered hasn’t been the most brilliant invention. I daresay some of them shouldn’t have even gotten past the blueprint stage. Therefore, I am nominating some robots into the Villain Hall of Shame that deserve to become scrap metal.

Bubbleman

Let’s get one thing perfectly clear: no matter what, bubbles are NOT scary. They are for clowns at kid’s parties, not horrible weapons of doom. Mega Man has had multiple opponents who use them, and I feel pretty bad that he has to defeat them and acquire their power. It’s like getting a hideous sweater for Christmas: you don’t want it, but try to make the best of it. 

Burstman


Both Bubbleman and Burstman use bubbles to thwart our hero, but neither is very effective. At least Burstman’s bubbles ensnare Mega Man and float him up to a spiky ceiling, but even then, I am reminded of the part in Willy Wonka when Charlie and his grandpa steal the Fizzy Lifting Drink and float dangerously close to the choppy fan, which kind of ruins the whole “ominous factor” of this attack for me. MAYBE the bubbles would be interesting if they were made of acid, but that’s clearly not the case.

Blizzardman

Wanna know what else isn’t scary? Snow. Blizzardman’s brilliant attack is a snowstorm. Oooo. Maybe Mega Man can build a snowman in the midst of defeating him. Furthermore, he has skis, and is the robot equivalent to being obese. Umm…aren’t these robots supposed to be agile? I almost wonder if they weren’t referring to the tasty Dairy Queen Blizzard when they named him, because it looks like he’s eaten too many of them (if robots did, in fact, eat). 

Iceman


 Even less scary than snow are Eskimos—especially robot Eskimos. Iceman is exactly that. This has to be the least menacing robot ever created; he pretty much makes Wall-E look like a pitbull in comparison. Yes, his attack is SLIGHTLY more interesting than Blizzardman’s, but how Mega Man could battle him without chortling is beyond me. The only thing that should fear an Eskimo is a baby seal. Everyone else should give them hugs and nuzzle their furry coats. Both of these robots could learn a thing or two from Freezeman, who is the only one that gets the whole “cold things being scary” concept right.

Woodman

Machines and Mother Nature typically don’t mix, and any attempts at combining the two in the Mega Man games has been comical to say the least. Let’s take a look at Woodman. He’s a tree stump with legs that uses leaves as a shield. LEAVES. The anthropomorphic trees in The Wizard of Oz could’ve kicked this guy’s ass with their apples, and they’re rooted to the ground. 

Plantman

Plantman isn’t much better. His head is a giant flower. How anyone could take him seriously is beyond me. Yes, there have been times I’ve considered plants dangerous. Anyone who’s seen Little Shop of Horrors or The Ruins knows what I mean. But he’s neither a giant singing Venus Flytrap nor a flesh-eating Mayan plant. He’s a flower-bot, and is better suited for Strawberry Shortcake than a Mega Man game. The only redeeming qualities about these guys are 1. their levels keep the games’ scenery interesting, and 2. their sheer entertainment value (although they still pale in comparison to Audrey II, since as far as I know, they can’t sing).  

Everything I Know I Learned From Nintendo

It’s not easy being a spoiled only child. No, really. From the day I left the womb, I had everything I ever wanted…except friends. I didn’t know a single kid in the neighborhood, had little in common with my classmates, and barely left home. Heck, I never even learned how to ride a bike. Ever. Needless to say, my life was less-than-typical growing up.

This is not to say that it was necessarily bad; this just meant that I had to entertain myself more than the average kid. My imagination ran rampant to avoid going stir-crazy. I would immerse myself in any piece of fiction I encountered, whether it be a television show, movie, or book. I constantly pretended to be someone else because the person that I was seemed so pathetic. In my mind’s eye, being an Ewok was better than being a dorky girl.

To make matters worse, I was a tomboy, but my parents made sure to keep boys at bay. Tragically enough, I was doomed to play with my Star Wars figures in solitude. And let me tell you: being all four Ninja Turtles at once is a very depressing and daunting task.

Come mid-to-late 80s, I was looking for something more to life than action figures. One can only play with Orko so many times without feeling like a loser. Christmas of 1989 brought me everything I wanted and then some: Nintendo. I traded in my spaceships for a pair of game controllers. It was instantly the breath of fresh air that I had sought for years.