It's a fact of life: woman play video games, whether you call them girls or whatever.  Natania of Geeks Are Sexy is one of those female gamers, and she feels the industry is ignoring a lucrative demographic at their own peril.

...as a girl gamer myself, it’s abundantly clear that the video game industry is not only run by a majority of men, but it’s catered to them as well. And it doesn’t seem to be changing much. Of course, catering to men makes sense from a business perspective, or at least it used to. But statistics indicate that’s no longer the case. And for some reason, many video game companies are just not willing to change to accommodate that shift. Maybe it’s part of the whole industry, so deep-seeded, that executives and producers can’t think outside of the box. But really, it’s still not an excuse. It’s honestly disgraceful at times, and downright disrespectful.

But there are ways game developers could attract more women and earn their loyalty, if they care about the future of the industry. Link

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Darth Vader Improv Everywhere was spotted in the subway recently, staging a our-of-this-world diversion for lucky riders.

For our latest mission, we staged a reenactment of the first Princess Leia / Darth Vader scene from Star Wars on a New York City subway car. The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship from the movie, and we thought it would be fun to see how people would react to a surprise appearance by the iconic characters. We spread out the actors along the train line, staging it so they would enter the right car at the right time.

How could they possibly have any doubts that the other riders would love it? Link -via The Daily What

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A demonstration of NAO robots by Aldebaran Robotics at the Shanghai Expo 2010. -via Digg

This room doesn't just have Mario decorations and accessories, no, this room puts you inside Super Mario World! It's a creation by artist Antoinette J. Citizen, who designed it as the game itself from the perspective of not the player, but the operative character. Jump for your own coins and boxes -there are even sound effects! Link -via Geeks Are Sexy

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Why sing those simple songs that come in one's own language when you can get down the Ewok way? Found at Star Wars: The Old Republic. Link -via Boing Boing

Batman and Darth Vader battle it out with light sabers while riding sharks. Does it get any better than this? Liz Marek of Artisan Cake Company made this for her husband's 26th birthday. Link -via the Daily What

The second of six films in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back, was released on May 21st, 1980. Many regard this film as the best of the lot. Ars Technica takes a look back at this amazing film, including the reasons why it turned out the be so different from the others and some trivia you may not have ever heard.

Watch the opening scenes with Han Solo at Echo Base as Harrison Ford chews the scenery with glee. "Then I'll see you in hell!" he calls to another soldier after being told that it's suicide to go after a lost Luke Skywalker. Kasdan knew how to write for Ford's charms, and Han Solo steals the scenes he's in.

Mark Hamill suffered a car accident before filming began, which lead to the Wampa attack and healing process in the film to explain his scarred face. Skywalker seems lost in the movie, nearly dying on Hoth and fighting his impetuous nature during his training with Yoda. Near the end, he is soundly beaten by Darth Vader in their first confrontation, losing both his hand and a piece of his soul when he finds out why Vader has been hunting him with such single-mindedness.

Link -via Metafilter

The little yellow guy we all know and love is 30 years old! Launched on May 22nd, 1980 in Japan, the game Pac-Man swept the world within just a few months. The Guiness Book of World Records lists it as the most successful coin-operated game ever. To celebrate, Google has unveiled an interactive logo that is a playable Pac-Man game. Just click the "insert coin" button on the Google homepage, or wait ten seconds for the game to start automatically. Click the "insert coin button twice, and Ms. Pac-Man will load (play using W A S and D). If you use iGoogle, you'll need to go to Google's classic homepage. The game will be available until 11AM US Eastern Time Sunday, or until midnight Saturday night in Japan. Link -via YesButNoButYes



As you can see, it involves papier-mâché. What should you do with it once you've gone through this step-by-step photo essay? You might laugh when you see! Link -via b3ta

Angie Stevens draws scenes from her life as a mother every day, or at least every day since her third child was born two years ago. Some pictures are funny, some poignant, and some tell a story, but all are a joy to see. Link to story. Link to artist's site.

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The sounds of little Max's day make up the rap by Wax, Herbal T, EOM, Andrew Kurchinski, and Yesica Rodriguez. Herbal T is Max's dad. Adorable! -via The Daily What

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Five-year-old Jack made a video to impress his idol, champion trial rider Danny MacAskill (whom you can see here). He impressed me! -via Metafilter

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Yes, Mom, I know where it's been. That's where I took it! -via Daily Picks and Flicks

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Tasha and Ciara carry on a preschool conversation about their futures in American Sign Language. Follow the subtitles and see that "girl talk" is the same in any language! This was recorded at the Deaf Children's Society of BC. Link -Thanks, Marion!

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This is going to be so neat the next time you hand an apple to your child! If they ask you to cut it, just tell him/her you already did. Then enjoy their puzzlement as they try to figure out how you did it. This video is from our own David Israel.  -via Geeks Are Sexy