Because women aren't realistic more often than not. That said, neither are men, but men tend to have less issue with it. And rightly so, men's tropes tend not to be degrading. However, men's tropes do tend to be just as bad as the super-model culture where emaciated and blond is perfect for women. Men are expected to…

The flip side of oppressive police is the creation of crime-families and communities, black markets, and what essentially amount to DMZs and no-go zones for police forces. The mafias of various nations tend to thrive when people aren't comfortable with the police, because they can enforce rules, usually through…

I don't know about Nascar, but in F1, the drivers and the teams have separate sponsors. So, while the team will provide the team's fire-suit (with the driver's sponsors on, I think) the driver has their own helmet, gloves, and shoes.

The books will show you more of the inspiration.

While story is good, I find that, from the point of view of getting someone to stick with the AC series, having them play Assassin's Creed II is the best first step. I played the original and almost didn't get the 2nd because I didn't like certain game mechanics which they cleaned up for the second. And, for games…

No, master locks are pretty poor. They were the default locks on my middle school lockers. I picked a friend's quickly enough to not get suspected. It was easier than rigging cans of snakes to pop when he opened the thing. They're kinda like the "Fisher-Price" of major lock brands. Still, it's cool that the kid can do…

Or the ever popular Faux "News"...

It's a form of copy protection. Digital Right Management is a preemptive measure to stop you from sharing the software, not from owning it. And I don't know that they do get off with mandatory online and DRM shit, given how pissy the gaming community can, rightfully, get. You know how much people complained about…

Which tropical island? Internet through what medium? Your status of living has no bearing on Cochese's He may choose for personal reasons not to be connected to the internet. He may have a tech savvy stalker ex, and as such elects to stay off line at times. He may use older hardware with a requirement for a hardwired…

Well, no, you pay for the right to own a copy of a piece of software. Saying you pay to play a game is like buying a book and saying that you only payed for the right to read it, but not the book itself. However, your music example is well placed. Rather like you're legally allowed to record a song from radio…

If you want to talk law, it become kinda pointless. EULA are still a very murky area of law. In the EU for instance, there is still active legal questions about whether they can be considered legally binding. Additionally, as the famous saying goes, possession is 9 parts of the law, a literal "I have it, therefore I…

That analogy fails on one fatal fact. If you take the toy from walmart, you actively stop someone else from having the chance to buy it. Your example is one of actively removing an item from market instead of creating a perfect copy that doesn't impinge on other's rights.

They harp on about it because it's a fairly well written fantasy series that appeals to the gamer demographic. Kotaku is not a game site, it is a news and interest story site filtered to the gamer interest. The Song of Ice and Fire series appeals to a lot of those gamers who were gamers when computers were still…

I think a larger problem isn't the kind of game-play even, but the glorification of war. Call of Duty doesn't do much to present war as a bad thing. I enjoy the play mechanics. They're solid, if a little long in the tooth, and they deliver good game play. I dislike the story. I'm very close knit with the USMC, through…

It does suggest a profession of support for the state and established establishment. Which, ironically, is the kind of mind set which V stands against. The Guy Fawkes mask isn't just a symbol of anonymous, and it isn't a symbol of faceless individual or villain, but has grown into a symbol of distaste for poor…