Gamasutra member blogs: From redefining genre to moral boundaries

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as problems with how we define genres, questioning how video games have our moral boundaries, and more.] Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. We hope that our blog sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information, check out the official posting guidelines. This Week's Standout Member Blogs Of mechanical dissonance, potions and bacon (Eric Schwarz) The Baconing is a funny game, but its lighthearted tone turns to frustration when it comes to gameplay. In this article, Eric Schwarz examines the game's conflicting mechanics to find out just how. Redefining genre (Craig Ellsworth) One aspect of games that intimidates non-gamers is how we define our genres. Let's look at why this is a problem and how we can fix it in the long run. Craig Ellsworth uses examples from books, movies, and stage productions to compare and contrast genre systems. Player gender and race in video games (Jake Shapiro) Jake Shapiro explores why people play as who they play as, and whether avatars are reflections of the self or a fantasy. Shinobi - The way of the badass (Glen Cooney) Glen Cooney offers a look at how a classic PS2 action game nailed the fundamentals of player empowerment and action game theming. Questioning our moral boundaries (Jorge Albor) Jorge Albor asks, "Have I grown so accustomed to wanton slaughter that ripping someone in half evokes only a momentary shock before fading into the backdrop of video game violence?"