If whoring for attention is so bad in journalism, should we kick Tim Rogers off the American Bar Association of Games Journalists (that totaly exists? Next time he viral markets for Sony, do we fall upon Large Prime Numbers with pitchforks and torches? Hell, Kieron Gillen just wrote a miniseries for Image comics staring a mary sue of himself who looks exactly the same as him and is dead clever and cool and uses records as magic, just like Hellblazer gone hipster. Grounds to be fired out of a big cannon?

I mean if riding on one’s gender is so taboo, where were you when Jane Pinckard graduated to the pro leauges by tolding a Rez vibrator against her clit and taking photos? Everyone self-promotes, however we can. I don’t see Melissa doing it at the cost of anyone else.

Why do I give a shit? For 10,000th time (its funny how you can deconstruct all my points so finely, yet ignore all my reasons for getting upset… its not like I haven’t outlined them about a dozen times already), I just can’t stand the idea of someone getting far in the business based on circus antics while those that are actually talented and deserve the spotlight get the shaft due to idiotic and superfluous reasons, like not being “hot” or some bullshit. Yes, it perhaps indicative of the sad state of affairs, but unless folks point such things, how else is the ball of change going to get started?

Fuck, you write about games, don’t you want the whole field be something a little more than what is now, and filled with less idiots and assholes? Or should I say, what’s you’re beef with someone who wishes things were better? Oh, I’m sorry, you’re one of those guys who “just doesn’t care”. Hence why bitching about me bitching about something looks all the dumber. But given your tenacity to just argue for no real reason at Insert Credit… its hardly a surprise I suppose.

Oh, and as for “real life girls” I speak of, its women I know from… you know… real life. Plus others whom I don’t know personally, though we have both spoken with at IC.

1) Melissa films two video segments for GameLife, which she then mails into GameLife. They are filmed by her older boyfriend (as in older than Emma Watson, oh zing), who is into faked death porn and being “shocking”.

2) Ziff Davis picks up GameLife. At E3, Geoff and Melissa are ignored by a karate-kicking moron set to interview them on behalf of 1up.

3) Someone who is not Melissa finds boyfriend’s website, which is then emailed to UK: Resistance. Internet is stunned.

4) Tinfoil hat brigade explodes on NeoGAF in a semi-misogynistic frenzy, and you write up and endorse said theories, netting some nice publicity for your website in the process. Since you lack breasts you cannot possibly be accused of attention whoring.

5) Melissa makes her first proactive move in all this, posting on GAF a bit and making a shit movie response (Geoff has made a spinoff flick of his own, but again he isn’t a girl and cannot be pointed at and called an attention whore). This is siezed upon by you and others as “evidence” of more attention whoring. A photograph of her boyfriend snorting coffeemate off another girl alltogether‘s tits is also added to the “MELISSA IS A WHORE!” case file.

So uh in conclusion: what the fuck are you talking about? Could you cite some of these “real life girls” that totally exist and everything? How is some weirdo digging into her personal life grounds to drag her name through the mud? Oh, that’s right – it isn’t. This is completely crazy and more than just slightly mysoginistic. Melissa isn’t a good host by any means – her delivery is upbeat but stiff, and entirely fitting with the tone of the show. Her interview with the creepy Rare guy was absolutely hysterical, at the very least. Where’s all this hate coming from? Somebody bitter they didn’t get a paid ride and press pass to E3?

And no way is writing about videogames a profession, boss. A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usually has a professional association, ethical code and process of certification or licensing. Examples are accounting, law, medicine, finance, the military, the clergy and engineering. If games magazines required professionals, guys like Tim Rogers and Gillen would be reduced to hustling. It’s just some dudes making it up as they go along, really.

Her internet star will fall soon enough, unless she comes up with something more compelling than her “i’m a girl and i play games and pretend to be dead in myspace pictures” shtick.

As for the assholes in question, him and I have had our battle of words, and again, I think the guy’s sorta overly fixated on me (perhaps even obsessed?). If you’re reading this, hey Tony.