The most classic and common perception of a gamer is a lonely 20 something male who wears black trenchcoats, sports an unruly beard, has no contact with girls and sits in a dark room almost 24/7 getting their gaming fix.  While this description really is almost laughable in it’s ridiculousness, it still exists today.  If your boss asked you what you like to do on your own free time would you happily offer up that you are looking forward to going home and playing Fable 2?  I guess it really depends on your boss.  But I think that many of you wouldn’t.  Even today, as gaming is literally exploding around the world, there are some very negative connotations associated with gaming.

For example, we’ve all read and heard the claims that violent games breed violence in those who play them.  Grand Theft Auto and games like Call of Duty are terrible for society.  Are they?  How are they worse than watching the latest Saw movie?  Have you ever seen how sick and twisted those are?  Are you telling me that a pixelated character is worse than watching an almost true-to-life execution on film of a real person?

I, for one, think it’s high time for those who look down their noses at gamers to take a few points into consideration.  Here are my reasons for why gaming is not only an acceptable pastime.  No, that’s not good enough.  These are reasons why gaming is a SUPERIOR pastime that doesn’t deserve the stigma that much of society has placed upon it.

1. Gaming requires you to use your brain - Why sit on your couch and watch the usual trash that you can find on tv these days?  Who cares if some new Midget Deathmatch reality show is starting next week?  How is watching tv more socially acceptable than playing a game where you are also on the couch and staring at a tv?  At least with gaming you are INTERACTING with something.  Your brain actually has to do something and many studies have shown that gaming is actually a good form of mental exercise.  Next time somebody makes a comment about your gaming habits, ask them how much tv they watch.  Watching tv is only socially acceptable because it’s a much older medium.

2. Gaming gives you better bang for your buck - This one is a no-brainer.  On a cost basis, gaming gives you far more entertainment value for your buck.  Going to the movies?  Ok, be ready to fork out over $10 just for the ticket and maybe much more if you want popcorn and something to drink with that salty snack (that’s how they getcha!)  I’ll be nice and say it only costs $15 to go out to a movie these days.  Let’s say then that the average movie is 2 hours, which is also too generous.  So, for $15 you are getting 2 hours of entertainment.  You are looking at about $7.50 per hour of entertainment there.

What then, if you bought a video game for $60?  That’s the average price for a new game these days and doesn’t take into account the price of used games etc.  Let’s say you get 10 hours of gaming out of a game these days (again, very low and that does not take into account online play and repeat playthroughs etc).  That means playing a game for only 10 hours gives you a total cost per hour of only $6.  That is being very kind to movies too.  Almost all games these days come with online and multiplayer components which can push the number of hours you spend on them to well over 50 and beyond.  At that point, the cost comparison becomes even more laughable.

3. Gaming today is a social experience - I always find it amusing when someone accuses me of being anti-social for choosing to play video games instead of going to their place to watch tv or a movie.  Generally, depending on how annoying your friends can be, watching tv and movies is done in silence.  Occasionally you’ll laugh or make a smart-ass remark or observation about something obvious, but tv and movies are medium that require you to sit still and pay attention.

What many don’t seem to understand is that with the new generation of consoles the gaming experience has evolved in to much more than just single player affairs.  The online communities built up by Xbox Live and the Playstation Network have attracted millions of people who regularly meet up to play multiplayer games.  Almost every game these days has cooperative play or multiplayer of some sort.  The thing about gaming that makes it MORE social than watching a movie or tv is the fact that you need to plan out strategy with your teammates or talk trash whilst thrashing them in Madden.  With gaming, you even get to meet some new and interesting people.

Because all gamers aren’t losers in their parents basements, you can have great conversations with people as you play something online.  I’ve met lots of cool people online while playing NHL 2009 and among them I can count lawyers, accountants, a marketing executive, a math professor and more government workers than you can imagine.   I learned more about New Jersey talking to a guy over the course of an NHL game than I would have learned watching a PBS special on the city.  Gaming isn’t social?  Whatever guy who can tell me everything about LOST and can never hang out on Thursday’s for fear of missing an episode.

4. Gamers still find the time to read- For whatever reason, many people believe that if you play video games you do so at the expense of reading.  Sure it can be at the expense of reading.  However, when someone sits down to watch tv they are also not reading.  Somehow, it is still more acceptable to watch tv for 4 hours after work than play video games.  I play games, but at the expense of watching GARBAGE on tv.  I still read as much as I ever did.  Maybe more.

So the next time your parents, girlfriend, boyfriend or friends give you a hard time about gaming (providing you aren’t overdoing it!) feed them any of these scenarios.  Fortunately for us gamers, the Wii has paved the way for everyone to accept video games and the stigma will likely die out in the next decade.  For now, you’ll just have to grin an bear it when you are buying that new game at Future Shop and the guy at the counter gives you those eyes that you know are telling you to  “get a life.”  It won’t be long before they are gaming too.  Just think how far behind those noobs will be when they finally see the light.

So why do you game?  These are just some of the reasons I’m a gamer, and proud of it.

Let’s face it, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all in the business of games (yes, it is a business) to make money.  They wouldn’t be investing billions of dollars into research and development or financing massive marketing campaigns if it didn’t add to their bottom line.  If you look back to the start of this new generation it was widely accepted by “professional” analysts that the Xbox 360 and PS3 would be fighting it out for market supremacy and the less cutting-edge Wii would finish a distant last.  Wow, could those predictions have possibly been more wrong?  Today, the Wii is selling out to the point where Nintendo has trouble even getting enough of them into stores…and this is YEARS after the launch.  Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 has been hammered by technological problems (I think we all know the 3 red lights of death) and the PS3 is struggling to even stay competitive this generation despite putting out the console that won the HD format war with Blu-ray.

So what have we learned so far about this generation of consoles?  Well, for one, graphics and cutting edge machines that we gamers prefer are not the key success factors that Microsoft and Sony thought them to be.  Nintendo took an entirely different approach and instead opted for innovation and simplicity over technological prowess.  As a result, Nintendo has managed to capture a far larger market – the holy grail that Microsoft and Sony have been desperately aiming for since they entered the business.  Nintendo has won the hearts and minds of the mass market.  They have essentially created the “casual gamer.”   Sure, some “hardcore” gamers still own the Wii and play games like Mario Galaxy and Zelda, but the majority of Wii owners now are not in it for what can be considered a true gaming experience.  For example, my sister hates games.  She has always associated them with nerds, being dorky, wasting time and I could go on.  But now she loves the Nintendo Wii.  Wait a second, isn’t that a gaming system?  The other night she asked me if I had ever played Mario Kart.  I laughed in her face.  No wonder the Wii is able to churn out rehashes of all their old classics and watch them sell like beans before a nuclear war.  My sisters dramatic shift from game hater to Wii lover is by no means an isolated incident.  The other day, my boss suggested that we should think about getting a Wii for the office.  What!?  He’s a 62 year old man and the last person on earth you would ever expect to want a gaming system.  Of course, there was no mention or even an indication that he knew about the Xbox 360 or the PS3.  Nintendo wins again.

Does this mark the end for the hardcore gamer?

Ok, so Nintendo is winning this console war by a landslide.  Why is that a bad thing?  For starters, look at the people who are buying the Nintendo Wii.  It’s my friends mom, my sister, my 62 year old boss.  They love the idea of swinging a controller and “hitting” a ball, “bowling” and “boxing” just like you would in real life.  Right.  The problem is, in the traditional sense of the word, these are not video games.  They require almost no skill and little or no thought.  Sure, proponents for the Wii will scream that there is strategy and will show you how you have to move your arm so you bowl a strike every time.  Ok.  Great.  As I see it, these games offer no challenge, and thus, no reward.  As a gamer, I love games because they challenge me and force me to use my brain to overcome and solve a situation or puzzle.  That is what makes me a hardcore gamer.  I like the thought of playing a game that makes me actually think.  If it’s mindless, it’s no better or more stimulating than turning on the tv and watching some trash like the Hills or Night Court (ha!).  Hence, the term, casual gamers.  The Wii caters to those people that don’t want to play something they might not be able to win.  What it’s so frustrating now is because this casual gamer mentality is winning the console war (making the most money) for Nintendo.  Sony and Microsoft see that.  As a result, the “New Xbox Experience” and “Home” have been born.  As a gamer, I could care less about either of them.  Thanks to Nintendo, you can bet that you are going to see a lot more casual games, which I like to think of as games for babies.  My sister couldn’t play and win Braid to save her life.  My boss wouldn’t last 30 seconds in an online match of Call of Duty.  Why?  Because those games require actual skill and NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT.

As Nintendo builds on it’s already huge momentum it’s clear that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are slapping each other for second place.  Nintendo has won the console war this generation.  There is no disputing that.  Both Microsoft and Sony have realized this and they are scrambling to make their systems more appealing to the causal market.  For traditional gamers, there is good reason to be concerned.  While hardcore games like Halo, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy aren’t going away anytime soon, it’s certainly possible that MS Sports will be launched with some sort of motion wand that is also compatible with latest Harry Potter game.  And what about Sony?  They are undergoing a major internal evaluation of their entire business and that includes the games division.  Don’t laugh, there is a chance that the once might Playstation could go the way of the dodo.

Developers are by no means immune to the effects of the Wii’s dominance in the market.  They are in the business to sell games, and lots of them.  With the Wii garnering a huge percentage of the market share the amount of shovelware has increased tenfold this generation.  Even worse, efforts to attract more gamers to traditionally hardcore gaming experiences have already ruined some games.  A prime example would be the newest Prince of Persia.  I was a huge fan of the original game which offered great puzzles and challenging gameplay.  This generation, the latest Prince is so easy and holds your hand so much it’s laughable.  You can’t die?  Check.  Easy puzzles?  Double check.  I couldn’t even get through it.  I actually was screwing up because I’d hold the A button when I was wall-running when actually the game did that for me automatically (unlike the other games).   I felt like I wasn’t even playing a game.  I may as well have been watching the AI play through the game.   I just pray that other developers aren’t so quick to follow Ubisoft’s lead on this one.

You are going to see a lot more of this

Well there you have it, just a few of the reasons why the Wii is going to hurt hardcore gamers in the long run.  Why make difficult games that aren’t going to sell as well as the next Ponies game for the Wii?  Because companies must answer to their shareholders and are truly motivated by making the most money, why would they ever cater to hardcore gamers who are becoming a smaller segment of the market every day?  Until such time as there is evidence or indication that the Wii acts as a sort of gateway drug for people to move onto more interesting and challenging games, games are only going to get easier and more dumbed down.  If that’s the case, you can count on me dropping games for good.  When my brain decides it’s bored and decides to leave, it takes my body with it.

So how do you feel about the trend towars easier games meant for all players of all ages?  Are you happy to see more people playing games today?  What do you think is going to happen?

UPDATE:  Wow, right on queue.   Check out this HORRIBLE news story that is very much related to this artcle and confirms that Nintendo is paving the way for the almighty “casual” gamer.

Developed by Ironclad games and published by Stardock, Sins introduces real-time strategy into the tired “turn-based” space strategy game.  Sins is not your traditional 4x game: eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate.  What Sins really boils down to is a combination of Master of Orion II and Homeworld with a dash of Starcraft seasoning to bring out the full flavour (or any resource gathering strategy game).  Essentially, in Sins you must build an empire of planets who in turn support your mighty fleet throughout the galaxy.  The more resources you are able to acquire and defend, the larger your fleets will become.  Throw in race specific tech trees, race specific capital ships, marauding pirates and unique artifacts that provide your empire with a competitive edge over the competition and you have a game that has an incredible amount of depth and infinite replayability.

Sins’ emphasis is on managing fleets.  Or maybe I should say armadas.  They are truly a sight to behold.  The space battles in Sins are epic and intense.  The ships and effects look amazing and there is something hugely satisfying about sending in your armada to battle the main fleet of the enemy…it never gets old. The beauty of Sins is the balancing act of trying to build the most powerful fleet possible while also defending your empire, expanding your empire, improving your technology base and managing diplomatic relations with the other empires that all have the same ambitions as you…galactic domination.

For a new intellectual property, Sins is an incredibly well balanced game.  You can play as three races in Sins: The Vasari, the Advent or the TEC.  Each race has different strengths and weaknesses and it’s fun playing any of them.  It will take a long time to decide which is your favourite, a fact that is a tribute to how well all three have been designed.  Do you go with the TEC who have the most powerful economy?  Maybe you want to master the Vasari who boast the most powerful ships in the game but are handicapped by a weaker economy than the other two races?  I’m still trying to pick my favourite after countless playthroughs.

What is a space strategy game without an online or multiplayer component?  It’s a shell of what it could have been.  Fortunately, Ironclad has built Sins with multiplayer online and it is as fantastic as it is addictive.  Taking over the galaxy at the expense of the AI is one thing, but watching your massive armada warp into your friends home planet and obliterate him and all he has fought for is one of the most satisfying moments in gaming.  It’s even great teaming up with some friends and taking on the AI on hard settings.  The possibilities, again, are endless.  In our time online we didn’t experience any lag and we were able to save games and return to them without incident.

One of the best reasons to support a game like Sins is because the developer will support gamers like you.  Stardock is one of the very best publishers around today in terms of community and game support.  I’d go so far as to say that they are becoming more like Blizzard with every new game they release.  They are frequently responding to community concerns, comments and ideas and the game has already received several updates that have improved the graphics, online play and balancing issues.  Administered through Stardock’s own game manager Impulse, the updates are easy to install and ensure the game can be updated by even the most timid PC user.  My Mom may still have difficulty though.

In fact, the commercial success of Sins has been so great so far that there are already four planned expansions coming to the Sins universe.  Rest assured, once you have played this game to death there is going to be plenty of fresh new content coming to keep it smelling fresh.  I’m particularly excited for the Entrenchment expansion that has been released already in beta form and you can read more about here.

The Good:
+ Great balance between races
+ Fantastic graphics that run at achievable specs for once
+ Infinite replayability
+ Strong developer support
+ Fun and exciting multiplayer

The Bad:
+ Bit of a steep learning curve – be sure to use the tutorials to get your empire started on the right foot
+ Some players may be turned off by the “real time” nature of the game (some in the MOO camp may wish for the “next turn” button)

The Verdict: BUY IT

On balance, Sins of a Solar Empire is one of the best PC games I’ve played in ages.  It looks great, plays great and you will never have the same game twice.  It’s fun against the AI or playing with friends or strangers online.  Like the good old days of MOO II, this game will keep you up into the earlier hours of the morning when you wonder what you are really doing with your life.  Even without the “next turn” button, Sins will have you waiting to build that next capital ship, capture that enemy planet or research those new phased shields to upgrade your fleet.  The developer support on this game is matched only by the best in the business and Sins is guaranteed to only get better through continual updates and expansions.  If you are a fan of space strategy games you owe it to yourself to get this game.  You won’t regret it.

About a year ago it was a week before Xmas 2007, and I convinced my girlfriend that we should buy ourselves a Wii for a present. The only problem was that they were harder to find than a Hammer Brother Suit. I was constantly checking the online classifieds, and phoning every electronics store within a 100km radius of my house. Then finally a local store received an unexpected shipment of ten systems, and I got down there when there were two left (the guy behind me in line got the last one).

This all seemed like a big deal for just another console, even though it was the holiday season. After all the stress from acquiring the Wii, I could’ve been easily disappointed if it didn’t live up to the hype. Luckily, the first title I bought was Super Mario Galaxy. This is always a safe bet with a new Nintendo console, as the designers behind the Mario Franchise are sure to be familiar with all the capabilities of the new hardware, and have the track record of many of the best games ever created.

Super Mario Galaxy didn’t just live up to my expectations, it totally blew my mind. Clean graphics, a familiar interface, great controls, and above all the physics of changing gravity make this a game that I could play over and over again. It even has a few levels which are very difficult, such as having to go back and beat a previous boss without sustaining any damage.

This title set the bar quite high for other Wii titles, and in the past year I’ve experienced some shockingly bad graphics and game ideas that make me wonder just who they are marketing to. That being said, the fact is that the Wii is the first system in a long time that has a different-looking controller, and is not all thumbs and complex button combinations. This has made it relatively popular with a whole segment of the population outside of the stereotypical young male gamers.

One other thing that has set the Wii apart from past consoles is the Virtual Console and WiiWare features available online. The Wii automatically connected to the internet via my wireless router, and in a few short button clicks, my credit card information was in their system and I was downloading some of my favorite classics. These include but are not limited to Gradius, Tecmo Bowl, Mega Man 2, Contra, Super Mario Bros. 3….. the list goes on and on. Revisiting these games 20 years later is both a challenging and rewarding experience. Nintendo also sells games under the category ‘WiiWare’, which are shorter, simpler titles, ranging from about 5 to 20 bucks. World of Goo is a very smart and popular title (check out the Metacritic rating), and Tetris party is a new twist on an old classic, with great variations on the original and addicting online play.

So now I find myself sitting in the glow of the Xmas tree reflecting on 2008, the year of Wii. One minute I’m taking a fitness test in Wii Sports, consisting of realistic tennis, boxing, and baseball drills, and the next minute completing near-impossible levels in Mega Man 2, from a time where video games consisted of pure jumping and shooting. Amazingly, my girlfriend is calling “next game”, a regular event. If you ask me, Nintendo has already surpassed expectations for the Wii, and there’s still loads of potential.

We can all deny it, but when a game that we have been waiting for ends up with a Metascore below our predetermined expectations we tend to write it off as a “failure.”  I remember a time when there were only a few game reviewers, so few in fact that you could identify most of them by name.  Once you found a reviewer whose tastes you liked, you could pretty much stick with them and trust their opinions to reflect what your own would be (having not yet played the game).  But today that system and relationship between game reviewer and gamer has changed.  Now reviews are aggregated into a single score that reflects what ALL of the reviewers (good and bad, similiar and dissimilar tastes) think about a game.

Having an aggregate score is an easy way to justify game purchases.  If a game gets that green number it means that generally people liked it.  Surely that means that I will too, right?  The score is green, it has to be good.  For everyone, because everybody has the same tastes and interests.  No wait…

We are all guilty of it.  I know I am.  I’ve caught myself second guessing buying a game just because the Metascore was below 80.  Is a game that gets a Metascore of 77 really worse than a game that gets 80?  What if I really like the genre, style, gameplay, and characters in the 77 score game but opt instead for the 80 score game simply because it’s been rated “better.”  This example may seem ridiculous but if you are on the fence about two games the chances are you will go with the game that has the higher Metascore.  It happens all the time.  Pick the game that scores better.  That will be the game you enjoy more…right?

Unfortunately, Metacritic has become a trap that punishes not only gamers who want to buy games, but also developers who fail to achieve the baseline Metascore that is deemed to be acceptable by gamers.  It’s lose-lose on both sides.  A Metascore that is below your predetermined expectations may result in a decision to not purchase the game, or you call all of the reviewers idiots (depends on how passionate you are about the game of coure).  Not only does the developer lose a sale, but the gamer may pass on a game that they may have liked after all.

Further complicating the matter of Metascores is the clear division of opinion that arises between the “critics” and the “users”.  It is very rare that these two numbers are the same. You can see that disparity just by looking at the screenshot for Haze about.  So what does that tell us?  Are games being judged more harshly by critics or by gamers?  Are fanboys artificially pumping up the scores of games on systems they support, thus skewing the numbers higher for “users?”  While there are many factors that may account for the discrepancy between the numbers the point I’m making is that the score you would assign to a game is likely different than both the “user” and “critic” scores you use to make game purchasing decisions.  At the end of the day, everybody is different with unique tastes, likes and dislikes.  An assigned Metascore does not indicate how much YOU will like the game.  Yet still many people use these numbers as gospel.

I won’t bother getting into how marketing changes the dynamic, value and influence of Metacritic scores (a recent example would be the huge success of Assassin’s Creed – a game that didn’t get the high 90’s Metascore that everyone wanted it to) because that is another discussion entirely.  What we want to know is what is your personal Metascore?  What is the lowest possible number (or colour even) that will encourage you to try the game?  I like to think that I’m immune to the Metacritic craze, but I’m not.  However, I do like to think that when a game is released that I’ve been eagerly anticipating that I’ll still buy it, regardless of what the Metascore may be.

Do you have any examples of Metacritic changing your mind about a game?  Tell us your story!  Are there games you feel have been unjustly slammed by the Metacritic machine?

In my experience the gamers that read these sites, watch E3 and actually pay attention to news in the gaming industry typically fall into the hardcore gamer demographic.  I don’t see my Mom hitting the forums and message boards and commenting on posts with fiery passion.  Nintendo has forgotten about the fans that brought them to where they are today and helped them survive a pretty weak system in the Gamecube.  Where would they be today without the support of their most loyal fanbase?  Would the Wii even have seen the light of day?

So my question for you, as hardcore gamers, is do you own a Wii?  Sure there are some great games there: Zelda: Twighlight Princess, Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.  But what else are you playing?  Are you really buying Wii Fit and excited about Wii Music?

For years I was a loyal Nintendo fan.  I grew up on Mario and Zelda.  I still remember the excitement of getting my first Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64.  I regret that those days of unbridled enthusiasm for everything Nintendo are gone.  Nintendo has done little, if anything, to remind me that it still has gamers interests in mind.  Like all major corporations that stumble upon a big idea at the right time, it is now more about exploiting that idea and making as much money as possible.  I guess I can’t fault them for that.  It’s what corporations (and people in general, do).  However, I do think that by turning their back on the hardcore fanbase that kept them alive for so many years they are taking a risk.  If they believe that the casual gamers will be ready to move on when a Wii HD is inevitably announced they may find that the market in which they now operate isn’t as prepared to buy another Wii…

So tell us, if you are a hardcore gamer do you have a Wii?  Do you own any of the other systems?  What games are you playing on the Wii?  Do you still trust Nintendo to deliver the gaming experiences you want?

When all is said and done though, these five guys rose to the top and are (in my opinion) the ones who will make you laugh out loud in the most embarrassing places if you are a podcast nut.

To make the list, I only included the guys that are consistently funny and whose presence on a podcast serves to make it something special. All of these guys are funny in their own way, and because humour is so subjective, you may not agree with the list. However, despite where they all fall on this list, all of these guys will make you laugh, unless of course you have no soul.

And the top 5 funniest are:

5. Jeff Green – EGM

Best known for: GFW Radio podcast, never knowing the date…sometimes being off by years, taking 17 hours to win Portal!

Why he made the list: Jeff makes his weekly appearances on the GFW Radio Podcast and his laid back, laissez-faire way of running the show is hilarious. He’ll often lead the discussion into the most ridiculous topics and is never afraid to speak his mind about some of the crap he and his co-workers have to deal with every day in the gaming business.

4. Greg Miller – IGN

Best known for: Podcast Beyond, Game Scoop podcast, a famous Lair Review, Ghostbusters love affair

Why he made the list: Greg is easily the loudest of all the game editors out there. He frequently shatters the eardrums of his fellow podcasters with his enthusiastic chatter. Known for his love of singing and screaming “beyond!”, Greg has quickly made a name for himself in the gaming community. Famous already for his review of Lair, Greg has become a staple on the popular Game Scoop podcast and has become well know for some spirited rants (a particularly memorable one being against the PS3 and PSP).

3. Jeff Gerstmann – Giant Bomb

Best known for: Gamespot, On the Spot, the Hotspot Podcast, the Giant Bombcast, “Gerstmanngate”

Why he made the list: Jeff has been in the industry for over a decade now and has reached almost icon status after the infamous “Gerstmanngate” affair that saw him fired from Gamespot. For anyone that doesn’t know about what went down just type that into Google and you’ll find out. It’s hard to nail down why exactly Jeff is so funny, but his quick wit and vast knowledge of video games gives him lots of material to draw on.

2. Hilary Goldstein – IGN

Best known for: Three Red Lights Podcast, berating Nate Ahearn, being that game journalist everybody mistakes for a girl

Why he made the list: Hilary is the jerk of the gaming community and where’s his crown with pride in the offices of IGN. That’s why he is so damn funny. Poor Nate Ahearn is frequently the brunt of his best jokes, but nobody is safe from his rapier wit. Whether he is throwing Ryan Clements’ new Dualshock 3 controller across the room and destroying it or apologizing to gamers for anything that Nate says or does, Hilary is pure gold. He knows his stuff and is not afraid to skewer any person or game that gets in his way. Who else would have the balls to name the Xbox 360’s podcast “Three Red Lights”? Gold(stein) I tell ya.

1. Shawn Elliot – EGM

Best known for: GFW Radio, 1UP Yours, prank calls, freestyles, terrorizing the online gaming community, reading forum posts by online idiots

Why he made the list: Ok, this list was hard to wittle down to only five, but the number one choice was very easy. Shawn is far and away the funniest personality in the gaming community. If you have never had the chance to listen to the GFW Radio Podcast, you have to now. While it is a podcast about games, it always devolves into something completely and utterly ridiculous. Nobody is better than Shawn at making fun of people, situation and poking holes in popular culture. He has the best voice ever for that “emo” guy who is actually in love with a cartoon video game character and frequently uses it in prank calls and during online “readings” of the most ridiculous crap in the gaming community. His metaphors and analogies are simply brilliant and his knowledge of gaming and gamers gives him the ability to make fun of anybody and anything in all situations.

Trying to explain why somebody is funny is no easy task. You really do need to listen to these guys in their element to really understand. I’m sure many of you will have your favorite memories of each of these guys. There are so many that it would be impossible to try and recount them all here.

I have to give honourable mentions to Ryan Davies of Giant Bomb who has such great chemistry with Jeff Gerstmann, Ghambus Khan of ZTGamesDomain who consistently steals the show and Nate Ahearn of IGN who really knows how to roll with Hilary’s constant onslaught on insults.

If you are interested in seeing what all the fuss was about be sure to check out my list of the “Top 10 Podcasts for Gamers” that includes links to all of the podcasts where you can listen to these guys yourself.

Who would you add to the list? Disagree? Let me know!

I won’t even go into the inevitable encounters with online idiots that you are guaranteed to come across. Those would be the racists and the little kids whose voices haven’t cracked and spend most of the match squealing like spanked pigs.

This list is about in-game multiplayer annoyances and the people that use them to maximize the frustration factor for everyone else.

Without further ado…

Number 5 – Idiot reaches level 55 and decides not to enter “prestige mode”…ever

We’ve all experienced it. You get into the lobby, check the rank of everyone in the lobby and notice that 5 players are all at level 55. Ok, so they’re good. Then, you get into the match and they absolutely own you. I’m talking you die almost as instantly as you spawn. They know where you’ll be, they have insane proficiency with every weapon in the game and they let you know it. Clearly, they are “prestige mode” material. Then, after you get your ass handed to you at your meager level 30 rank, they decide to call you out for sucking. Good times. Real cool. Man up and make the game a challenge for yourself by entering “prestige mode.” Pwning noobs doesn’t prove anything to anyone. It only confirms that you are a jackass.

Number 4 – This automatic shotgun will go great with my martyrdom perk!

Again, we’ve all seen it. These players constantly sprint around the map flying into rooms with the finger on the trigger and using about as much skill as it takes to blow up a balloon. Then, when they inevitably die, they drop their grenade (thanks martyrdom perk) and hope that their “tactics” were enough to take someone with them. Bonus jackass points awarded to the players that employ this strategy in tiny maps.

Number 3 – Spawning into an air strike or helicopter attack

Ok, this one can’t be blamed on players, so much as on Infinity Ward. Yes, the attack choppers and the air strikes are a cool idea. However, where the game breaks is when you are playing in a map like “shipment” and a helicopter attack kills everyone and everything. The map is so small that you have no chance of shooting the chopper out of the air before someone else takes you out. The result, non-stop sprinting for cover until the chopper is gone. The frustration: in a map as small as “shipment” you can bet those choppers will be out for almost the entire game as elite players rack up 7 kills over and over and over. Spawning into random chopper fire “hilarity” ensues.

Number 2 – Hey, I have 3 frag grenades, I better use them all within 2 seconds of respawning

You can bet that almost as soon as players reach the level to unlock these babies they will be clipping an extra 2 frags to their belts. And why not? You can throw a grenade anywhere and some sucker almost always accidentally stumbles into it. I wish COD 4 kept stats on how you get killed. Was it a sniper rifle? Was it a handgun? Or was it another damn grenade. I spend most of my time navigating the minefield of grenades, especially in smaller maps.

Number 1 – Juggernaut, the second chance for those who can’t get the job done without it

This was easy. Who hasn’t shot a player point blank in the chest after getting the drop on them, only to have them suddenly realize you are there and somehow kill you instead. It happens every game. Its happened to me. Its happened to you. It will happen again. Juggernaut is like the perk for players that accept the fact they need need a handicap to compete online. I have simply lost count of the number of times I’ve heard players scream into their headsets when they get killed by a player with this perk. It happens every game.

Phew. Well that’s it. I know there are other things in there that annoy people so if I’ve missed your personal pet peeve let me know in the comments section.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m heading back online. Because lets face it, despite these annoyances, Call of Duty 4 is damn fun. Thanks Infinity Ward!

10. The Hotspot - Oh how far you have fallen mighty Gamespot. With the departure of notable personalities such as the likes of Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis and Alex Navarro, the Hotspot is a shadow of its former self. Once one of the funniest podcasts around with great commentary…the soul left this podcast following the now infamous Gerstmann-gate affair.  Brian Ekberg remains standing, so hopefully he’ll hold down the fort.
Click here to check it out.

9. Retronauts -This podcast is for gamers that like to reminisce about old games. Basically, the podcast pulls together various editors from around 1Up and has them talk about their favorite old games, systems and memories of gaming. If you want to plug in and listen to a heated debate about Final Fantasy VII this is the place to be. Click here to check it out.

8. EGM Live - Another 1Up network podcast led by Jennifer Tsao, Managing Editor for EGM. This podcast is always different and they cover lots of topics including mailbags, industry news, the occasional interview and rumours. You never know what you’ll get with this podcast, but that makes it more interesting.
Click here to check it out.

7. GFW Radio – Not technically a podcast for consoles, I know, but a great podcast about PC games. Frequently they reference games on consoles and draw comparisons between a console and pc release of the same game (e.g. Call of Duty 4). Hosted by Jeff Green and Shawn Elliot, this podcast always cracks me up. Shawn is hilarious and does lots of great impressions and the show often gets way off topic. Not that it’s a bad thing.
Click here to check it out.

6. IGN’s Game Scoop – Game Scoop is a podcast that brings together most of the major editors from around the IGN office to talk about the latest news, rumours and games. It is generally a recap of the week and usually devolves into some insider jokes about the industry and provides some insight into the inner workings of the IGN office.
Click here to check it out.

5. N4G Radio - N4G’s own podcasts features a likeable cast comprised of ZeroTolerance, Gambus Khan and the Wombat. These guys are hardcore gamers and provide a refreshingly honest discussion on video games. Less harsh than most critics around the web, the love these guys have for gaming really shines through in every episode. If you are sick of following Metacritic scores and want to hear a grassroots opinion on a game title that interests you, these guys have the goods. Click here to check it out.

4. IGN’s Podcast Beyond (PS3, PSP specific) – Another IGN podcast makes the list at number 4. Podcast beyond is led by Jeremy Dunham, Jeff Hayes, Ryan Clements (the Folklore review guy) and my personal favorite Greg Miller. Put simply, this podcast ranks so high simply because Greg Miller is so damn funny. Toss in a little timid Clements and you have yourself some good insider info on the world of Playstation. Favorite moment: Greg calls into Sony customer support for a prank call. Hilarity ensues.
Click here to check it out.

3. IGN’s Three Red Lights (XBOX 360 specific) -Hosted by the hilarious Hilary Goldstein (yes it’s a guy) and accompanied by Erik Brudvig, Ryan Geddes and punching bag Nate Ahearn, the Three Red Lights podcast is often pure comic gold. While they manage to stray off topic frequently, this is nevertheless always a good time. When a podcast features the likes of Jeff Bell (actually a bell) you know it’s got to be good.
Click here to check it out.

2. Giant Bombcast - New to the podcasting realm, the hosts of this podcasts certainly aren’t new to the gaming industry. Famed ex-Gamespot editor Jeff Gerstmann and former Gamespot employee Ryan Davis have banded together to not only start a new website, but start what has already become one of the best podcasts for gamers. Known for their notoriously funny wit and insight into the world of video games, these guys will have you laughing out loud and their knowledge of video games is unparalleled. A must listen.
Click here to check it out.

1. 1Up Yours – The mother of all podcasts. Hosted by Garnett Lee and starring Shane Bettenhausen, this podcast breaks down happenings in the industry and is always full of lively discussion and debate. You get to hear many points of view and frequently they have high profile guests on the show such as Denis Dyak (of Too Human fame) that really spice things up. They frequently have the best insider information and their unbiased thoughts on games are some of the most respected in the industry. If you listen to podcasts, this should be the one you look forward to the most each week.
Click here to check it out.

Of note, if you have an ipod you can subscribe to all of these podcasts via itunes. That way you always have something interesting to listen to when you aren’t in the mood for music.

That’s the list! If you look at this list and feel slighted because a really good gaming podcast has been left in the cold, please let me know in the comment section so I can give them a listen. Feedback is always appreciated!