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  Fifth Annual SOE Competition to Award $10,000 Scholarship

  Sony Online Entertainment has just announced their fifth annual “Gamers In Real Life” (G.I.R.L.) scholarship competition. Although the acronym has always mildly annoyed me, I think the program itself is great. Winners receive $10,000 in scholarship funds and the opportunity for a paid internship at SOE’s San Diego headquarters. While girls and women become an…

  By Kate Cox Published February 17, 2012
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  What madness is this, then? This is Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves, where we gather on a daily basis to discuss the joys and wonders of gaming all rolled up into one. Pan1da7—that guy again!—puts today’s TAYpic in the bowels (literally) of what looks like the House of the Dead. I…

  By Evan Narcisse Published February 17, 2012
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  Bethesda: Skyrim DLC Will Feel More Like Expansion Packs

  We’ve been promised substantial downloadable content for last year’s blockbuster Skyrim, but it sounds like Bethesda is thinking really big. “For Fallout 3 we did five DLCs,” Howard told me during an interview last week at the DICE Summit. “That was a very aggressive path for us. Our plan now is to take more time,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 17, 2012
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  Video Games Could Be Super Effective Against Congenital Cataracts

  Once considered the enemy of the child’s eye, recent medical research has shown that video games can have a beneficial effect on vision. Now a psychologist at McMaster University in Canada says the 40 hours of action-packed gaming could significantly improve the vision of people born with cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2012
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  L.A. Noire and Batman: Arkham City Lead Nominations for British Video Game Awards

  Just like a comic-book plotline where two crimefighters battle it out to find out who’s best, the members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts will decide whether Cole Phelps and Batman had the better video game. The nominees list for the media organization also boasts numerous nods at Portal 2, LittleBigPlanet 2,…

  By Evan Narcisse Published February 17, 2012
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  Vita Launch Feels Like the “Last Dinosaur” Says Duke Nukem Forever Designer

  If anyone would know what it’s like to show up late to a party it’s the man that worked on Duke Nukem Forever for over a dozen years. Fanning the flames of the smartphone versus dedicated gaming handheld debate via Twitter yesterday, Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard compared the launch of Sony’s latest shiny gaming…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2012
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  Kinect. Coming Soon to a Japanese Arcade Near You.

  Kinected | CHIBA, JAPAN: Konami showed off its new coin-operated Kinect game today. (Photo: Richard Eisenbeis | Kotaku) This is China’s iPad. The One Apple Is Getting Sued Over. Apple’s iPads are disappearing from Chinese stores shelves. The reason is that a Chinese company called Proview is contesting the use of the iPad moniker. More »…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  The Girl’s Eyes Were Just Too Freaky

  Upcoming Nintendo 3DS role-playing game for girls Girls RPG Cindere Life featured a hostess-type heroine with heroine with comically huge eyes. “Featured” because at some point, the game’s developer changed them. The new character design still features a big-eyed lady, but nowhere near as large as previously. Girls RPG is being developed by Level-5, the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Lady Blames Anime for Suicides. I Blame Her for Stupidity.

  Over the past two weeks in Russia, six kids have committed suicide. They apparently came from good homes. They did well in school. So why did they kill themselves? Child psychologist Olga Makhovskaya thinks she knows: Japanese anime. “Of course anime by itself cannot be the cause of teenage suicides,” said Makhovskaya. “But it is…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Gravity Rush Makes You an Accidental Mass Murderer

  At its heart, Gravity Rush is a steam-punk superhero adventure. Of course, Kat isn’t exactly the ideal heroine, despite her obviously pure intentions. Perhaps she just needs to take a moment and look up the term “collateral damage.” Gravity Rush was released on Feb. 9, 2012 in Japan on the PlayStation Vita. EU and NA…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A Broken Back. Checking into the Hospital.

  Earlier this week, my mother-in-law visited our place to give my boys and me some Valentine’s Day chocolate. When she was leaving with my father-in-law, she slipped and fell. She broke her back. My mother-in-law is now in the hospital and will be for a good bit to come. She also suffered from internal bleeding.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Tekken Tag 2 Has a Surprising Option

  With Tekken Unlimited Tag Tournament 2 (temp title), Tekken Tag 2 is coming to Japanese arcades. Besides tag team, it also allows players to play one character vs. one character—which defeats the purpose of tag, no? Here is the game’s trailer, unveiled earlier today at the AOU arcade show in Chiba, Japan. Be sure to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  It Was a Whole Day of Japanese Arcade Games

  Today, AOU (All Nippon Amusement Machine Operators’ Union) kicked off its annual show AOU Expo in Chiba, Japan. Kotaku East’s Richard Eisenbeis and Toshi Nakamura were on hand to check out the day’s festivities. Here’s a look at what they saw. The show featured new games, such as a Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  What a Rush! Gravity Rush Impressions

  I wonder how Sir Isaac Newton would feel if he were to play a game inspired by his own legend where real-world gravity physics have been crafted into an interactive playground. Well, if that game were Gravity Rush, I’m sure he’d be amazed—and not just by the existence of a glowing interactive box in his…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 17, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Amazing Wii Battles. No US Release in Sight.

  With The Last Story getting its European release next week, let’s take a few minutes to talk about its action-packed battle system. Fighting With a Tilt of the Stick The Last Story has no dedicated attack button. Rather, after running into range of a target, all you have to do is push the thumbstick in…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 17, 2012
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  Let China Show You How to Chun-Li and Final Fantasy

  You might not know how to Chun-Li. You might not know how to Final Fantasy or SoulCalibur. Chinese photographer Mengjie Luan sure does. His work is showcases games like Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Street Fighter IV, and Dynasty Warriors, among others. The photos are dramatic and colorful. The 29 year-old has an eye for dramatic…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  This is China’s iPad. The One Apple Is Getting Sued Over.

  Apple’s iPads are disappearing from Chinese stores shelves. The reason is that a Chinese company called Proview is contesting the use of the iPad moniker. Proview originally trademarked the term “iPad” for a computer. This is Proview’s iPad. It looks nothing like Apple’s. That doesn’t matter. Proview’s iPad is short for “Internet Personal Access Device”.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Do You Want To Do It? With This Japanese Meme?

  Whether it’s a Japanese video game or a comic convention, he’s bound to pop up. He even appeared on fan-made Valentine’s Day chocolate. He is the Yaranaika Guy, and he’s keen to know if you’d like to screw. So, would you? The Yaranaika Guy is manga character Takakazu Abe from 1987 gay manga Kuso Miso…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

  Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am EST. For more info about Kotaku East click here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012
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  More Gears of War 3 DLC Coming

  A new set of downloadable content for Gears of War 3, Forces of Nature, will be out on March 27. It includes three new character skins, three new maps, two old maps, seven weapon skins and Gears of War 2’s Guardian Mode. Forces of Nature will cost 800 MSP. [GameTrailers]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2012