This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of William Gibson’s first novel, Neuromancer, which became the manifesto for the nascent cyberpunk movement. In the years since, cyberpunk has grown from a niche sci-fi genre to a startlingly accurate description of modern times. Cyberpunk’s cultural influence has become so powerful as to be practically invisible; it’s the default setting of our daily reality ...

For some, nothing was more exhilarating in high school than playing a cool calculator game right in front of the teacher’s face while she thinks you’re graphing some crazy parabolic curve. Every kid who’s privy to the beat on the street knows that the first thing to do after persuading your parents to buy you a $100 Texas Instruments graphing calculator is to grab a link cable and get some Space Invaders and Final Fantasy ...

Loading. In the context of modern gaming it's a bit of a dirty word. No matter how cunningly it's disguised, nobody enjoys doing nothing while waiting for the next chunk of game to sort itself out. It's kind of strange, then, that so many gamers weaned from the 8-bit bosom remember the ceremonial act of loading with such genuine affection. But there's a damned good reason for that. The Commodore 64 loading screen.

Commodore 64 loading ...

It's tough being the biggest comic nerd in the office. For instance, when a new Green Lantern film is announced, everyone wants to know the very detailed reasons why Hal Jordan's one-time weakness to yellow is no more. Then I have to educate everyone about the original Green Lantern - Alan Scott - and his weakness to wooden objects. ...

In a medium full of perfect teeth, washboard stomachs and breasts that have their own gravitational pull, it’s rare to see characters with disabilities. But they do exist… and they’ve done some badass things. Be it killing gods, eating hardened soldiers or even creating the Nintendo universe; being physically challenged never got in the way of this bunch’s fun.

Disabled and deadly in: Metal Gear Solid 3: ...

Shikoku, one of the four major Japanese islands, is renowned for its Buddhist temples. With a history stretching back for over a thousand years, tourists and followers of Shingon Buddhism regularly come to visit 88 of these holy shrines as part of a traditional pilgrimage.

But today, many visitors see Japan as a Mecca for the modern and geeky. ...

Seasons change and so do our feelings about our favorite games. Have you ever gone back to a cherished title only to realize that nostalgia goggles tricked you into thinking some garbage game was the best thing ever? ...

Unless you're one of those few lucky men with a girlfriend that shares your passion for gaming, you'll no doubt appreciate that spending hours sat in front of the TV playing with pretend wizards and space marines can be the cause of many domestic disputes.

It may not trigger a 'bastard-you-slept-with-my-best-friend' sized tsunami of relationship-ending heartbreak, but gaming can undoubtedly cause its fair share of problems. To help ...