I had to stop working to think about life and death today. Many of us did.

They often say that our business is a business of youth.

But you never expect those who are young to leave, to go, to die.

Rannie Yoo was a public relations person par excellence. Like many of the public relations pros with which we writers deal, she was a sweetheart, funny, thoughtful, giving. She certainly always went the extra mile for me whenever I had a request.

Rannie just died of a rare form of cancer. Few of us knew of her condition until she posted “25 Things About My Cancer” on Facebook a week or so ago. Bravely, she wrote, “I have to sleep with my head elevated every night, because of the swelling on my face and neck due to radiation. My jaw tends to drop open in this position, causing my mouth and throat to become PAINFULLY dry. I've been tucking teddy bears under my chin which keeps my mouth closed most of the time. I call this "teddy bear therapy." Max, my friend's Zak's teddy bear, is in charge with David's childhood bear working as the head nurse. “

It blindsided us, and the many “Get Well Soon” postings on her Wall were indications of how liked she was. Rannie was just in her 30s, and she had that childlike sense of wonder that all of us who love video games and the people who make them hold onto so dearly.

I can’t imagine the courage she mustered and the pain she endured.

So forget Master Chief and Mario for a while today.

Take a moment, be silent, say a prayer if you do that, for Rannie Yoo.

I’ve been patiently trying for a while to have a nice, long-ish chat with Mr. Miyamoto, Mario’s and Link’s storied creator. Yesterday, Nintendo granted my wish.

I’d read all I could about him and have spoken with him on a few occasions. But it's been years. Although I was nervous, I felt I was fairly prepared. As I listened to his answers, I kept hearing stuff I'd never before heard or read about. This was confirmed by the people around him who said they'd never heard him speak about some of the things I’d asked about, either.

Because he was so open, almost everything Miyamoto finally came together for me. Still, I wished the talk had lasted for much longer: he’s a great storyteller.

After a conversation that lasted for over an hour, we played New Super Mario Bros. Wii together, a potent and modernized homage to the sidescroller days of gaming.

Then, he sat down, King Size Permanent Marker at the ready. With a confident wave of his hand, he removed specks of dust from the Wii console.

And then, he drew Mario.

And then, he signed it.

Nerd alert: Writer Does Stupid Physical Thing. So during theweek, I sit on my butt all morning and through the early evening, writing (andplaying games). This year, there’s mucho more writing due to the video gamehistory book I’m doing, The Game Changers. I hate leaving the desk, but when I’mdone, I’m leaving the country and no one’s gonna find me for months.

But the PR people got to me. When THQ offered a car service,I took three hours off to head out to the Meadowlands to check out the reallife dirt bikes and ATVs that inspired MX vs ATV Reflex. When they asked, “Areyou gonna ride?” I said, “Maybe.” But inside, I was thinking, “No way.” I ain’tno fool. They’re not gonna pay my doctor bills if I get hurt. I just cut off apiece of my finger the other day with an angle grinder, so I was more thanwary. I was cowardly. Yeh, like the lion from Oz.

After playing the game, which is hard like real lifemotocross, I started getting psyched about riding for real. That was weird, because I’d been fighting a cold all week, too. But there was a dirt track set up inthe parking lot with a few jumps. It had Harold written all over it (well, atleast in my mind).

They put me in gear, the shirt of which had a skeleton onthe chest. There was a cool helmet, too. With that helmet, I kind of felt likeMaster Chief. It changed my demeanor: I had the need for speed.Yippie-yi-yo-ky-ay.

I got on this huge ass ATV and after one slow go round, Isped up. I went around again, faster. When I came to a jump, I went fasterstill over it – and nearly went head first off the damn thing. That was it, I’d had mythrill and I drove back to the tent.

At which point this woman’s voice starts yelling, “Get onthe bike. Get on The Bike!!!” It was the sweet refrain of Jolene Van Vugt, thestar of the MTV show, Nitro Circus, and the only woman to do a backflip on a dirt bike incompetition.

Now, I’ve never been on a dirt bike before. I know moreabout the intricacies of the Kenyan economy than I do about the clutch on adirt bike, or any clutch for that matter. My heart was beating, too, and mymouth got dry like that time I met Blake Lively from Gossip Girl.

After three tries, I figure out the clutch and Jolene isyelling, “Go, man, go,” like I’m about to prove something manly. I’m thinking,I nearly fell off that ATV and that had four wheels. This has two. I better getoff: there was a reason they made me sign that form that says they’re notresponsible if I end up in a mass of blood and guts like Dante from Devil May Cry had hadhis way with me. 

“Go, man, go!” she yelled again.

So I did. I went around and I went around faster andeventually I flew through the air a bit as I went over the bump. It’s alwaysgood to impress a woman under any circumstances, and Jolene seemed prettyimpressed. I was impressed, too, when I saw the next journalist take a nastyflop. He was courageous enough to get back on, only to take an even nastierflop, the roll-around-on-the-ground-a-few-times-from-the-force kind. And therewere snickers from the motocross guys, too. I’m glad that guy wasn’t me.

A few minutes later, Jolene showed me this long, red scarthat went way up her right forearm. She’d broken her arm doing some crazy,crazy crap on a big ass dirt bike. “I tried to ride earlier today,” she said. “Butit still hurts too much.”  Actually, the redscar looked creepy/cool, bulging as it did over a green tattoo. But I’m glad itwasn’t me.

After riding, I had a new appreciation for the MX vs. ATVseries, and looked forward to the release of Reflex, which hits stores onDecember 1. I’m not getting on a dirt bike anytime soon, though. Well, maybe ifJolene eggs me on. 

Nothing big to say -- except the fanboy in me went 'Holy Crap!' when I opened the box from Nintendo.

It included a Bowser stuffed animal, a Mario beanbag doll, a white DSi, a backpack and the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Insider Story game. Me, I'd have been happy with just the game. The other stuff is really cool, though.

OMG! Games are good for the gray matter! I'm not exactly sure when the first scientific study about the benificient qualities of game playing came about. But it probably occurred some time during the Atari era. Since the advent of the Nintendo Brain Games on Wii and especially DS, these studies have become ubiquitous. PopCap seems to put one out every few months. 

And yet, they're always somehow compelling to hear about, even if the company making the game sponsors a scientist or a doctor for the research.

Yesterday, there was a news of new MRI study about Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov's landmark game, which still is popular 25 years after it was released. According to the work of Dr. Richard Haier and the Mind Research Network, Tetris "can create positive changes in our brains--most notably in the areas believed to be those that play a role in critical thinking, language processing, and the planning of coordinated movements." And everyone knows, gamers need more coordination. I certainly do.

Along those lines, you might want to check out Will Wright's NPR interview with biologist E. O. Wilson. Not only was Wright's SimAnt inspired by Wilson's work with the social insects, the admiration from the good doctor was mutual. Paulson feels that games are the future of education. In other words, games make you smart: gaming is art.

So I've got MSNBC on in the background and there's this hilarious video of a seven year old kid from Utah jacking a car. I mean, look at the little bastard run from the cop (at the end of the video)!

Klint Anderson, the buttoned up Utah cop interviewed by phone on TV, said that the boy was influenced by a video game in which you drive away from police. Now I assume the kid wasn't playing GTA. Think it might've been the Need For Speed series? Goes to show you, those 'T' ratings mean 'teen,' kid. 

Then again, he drives pretty good, don't you think? 

UPDATE: Just saw via Today online that the kid is now banned from playing video games.  

Game critics are always happy to see what kind of PR-related kitsch comes in the mail. It's like the holiday for those who appreciate gifts that are $5 and under. 

So when I got the pliable little guy below, which is meant to promote Little King's Story, I thought it was pretty cool. He's a cute, but slightly evil looking enemy in an admirable, charming RPG game with RTS elements from the folks who brought you Harvest Moon. It's getting high scores all around.

Anyway, the Onni below is a UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Enemy), a baddie who moves quickly when startled and throws things at you with power and speed. 

But, blow me down. The physical representation of Onni stinks to high heaven. Like, gag me and give me allergies at the same time. Maybe that's because he looks like a skunk, and I don't mean Sarah Palin.

As I sit here, the little dude is exuding his smelly, moldy stink from five feet away, from high on a shelf. Yet I can't dump him due to the cuteness factor. "Open the window and hold your nose" if you got one of these rubber Onnis.

Man, am I bummed about the death of Arturo Gatti. The talent in that guy...gone too soon.

Along with Crispy-ites Scott Jones and Steve Kent, I'm a big boxing fan. So when I was the game critic for The Village Voice, I got a call one day asking if I wanted to go to a demo of Fight Night Round 3. I had a deadline (always do), so ole grumbleass hesitated ... until they told me I could play Arturo Gatti at the game. 

I'm not the best gamer (by far). But when it comes to fighting games, I'm pretty damn good. If you don't believe me, ask Kent. Anyway, it was the middle of winter and I hauled my skinny ass over to some midtown hotel. I was grumpy because I hate midtown, especially in slushy February.

I'd watched an old Arturo Gatti/Mickey Ward throwdown to get in the mood, and, like this article says, I was nervous. Gatti was a total cool guy who said, "Don't worry. I didn't play the game until this morning."

It was no comfort since I hadn't played the game at all. I feared a knockdown, or worse, a knockout.

Gatti, in his modesty, chose to play fists of stone Roberto Duran. I chose to play as Ray Robinson. Gatti began to brawl, and I was getting pummeled like Joey GIlbert in the recent fight with Jesse Brinkley. But I found the block button and, allow me to quote "got Duran with a series of rights. Duran appeared dazed. And then, Gatti as Duran fell, knocked down hard by Robinson. Gatti stood up and tried to use body English to get Duran off the mat. In the game, there's a way to revive a knocked down fighter before the 10-count. But Arturo wasn't able to move two dots into the center of the screen using the controller sticks. Duran stayed down. I had bested the great Arturo Gatti.

"At first, there was disbelief on Gatti's face, then a flash of anger, at which point I wanted to run down Fifth Avenue as quickly as I could. Moments later, there was good natured respect. 'Congratulations,' he said. Even in loss, Arturo Gatti was a class act." 

Arturo should never have died this young, at 37. I think we should all pick up Fight Night Round 3 and play as Gatti. In memorium, yo.

Are they high?

I started checking out eBay video game collectibles recently, and, man, are these things overpriced. I can almost understand that the frenzy surrounding MJ made someone believe they could get a $2,000 for the middling but fun Moonwalker game. More reasonable was a Tim-Schaefer-signed copy of Grim Fandango for around 500 clams.

How about 5,000 for a Sega watch? Selling points: One of a kind rarity! Made in China.

Is this Atari console worth four grand? Selling points: OldSchool! Includes Pac-Man(hot).

Makes me wanna put my sealed copy of Spyro The Dragon up and price it at grand.   

Is anyone dumb enough to pay inflated prices for this stuff? I hope not. I mean, maybe for the holidays, people'll get all hot and bothered and pay big bucks for stuff that's not worth the price. But in the middle of summer in a deep recession? 

Dream on. Ain't gonna happen.

BTW: Anyone wanna buy a Ralph Baer-signed Odyssey? Just joking. 

There are two mags I read religiously. The best is The Week (by far the only mag you need to read) and the second is Us (the best mag to make you feel cheap and dirty).

In this week's Us, there's an interview with one of Michael Jackson's family friends, who happened to be at a Christmas party in which Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher, showed up to bring Jackson's kids a Star Wars Jabba The Hut doll. It also included a bikini clad Leia figurine, BTW. This apparently enthused the kids for about five minutes. Then, Prince, the oldest of the kids, went back to talking about Xbox. Of course, Jackson, the deceased, was a video game fanatic.

Jackson kinda was important in my writing life as a 20 year old in the sense that I wrote about him for various rags and review his shows on a TV program for which I was an underpaid critic. Here's below is a press pass from back in the day.

Last weekend, I really quite enjoyed playing Moonwalker, the old Sega game. I wonder if Prince is gonna pull out that old gem at some point and play. Not right now though. Fresh wounds.