I can’t even begin to exaggerate the number of times I’ve been on Xbox Live or PlayStation Network and have heard sexist comments, racial slurs and lewd homophobic statements. It’s almost as common as the audio in the actual game that you’re playing.

Most players tune it out and let it pass over their heads as competitive banter, but it has become one of the largest deterrents for people not wanting to join in with the online gaming community. For a brief window into the attitudes and behaviors in motion, you need only look further than this clip.

More incidents included a case earlier this March where Miranda Pakozdi was playing Street Fighter X Tekken and had to forfeit her match on a live stream “due to mental distress from all of Bakhtanian’s verbal abuse.” She asked him repeatedly to stop but he insisted on pursuing his course of actions. Capcom, the game’s developer and publisher, issued an apology to those who were offended by Bakhtanian’s comments. see more

It is scary how fast technology evolves in today’s society, especially with movies. The picture quality is continually getting better, and these improvements mean developments on the ways to watch them. Blue-ray is already fading to the likes of digital copy. Photo by Courtland Jeffrey.

The industry made the jump from the VHS to the DVD in the late 1990’s and, while many were reluctant of the change, consumers soon took to the new standard. Then, in the late 2000’s, Blu-ray discs became the next level of quality for movies. Since the transition from DVDs to Blu-ray discs is not near completion, consumers now have a choice of whether to cultivate their DVD collection or start their Blu-ray discs. But in the past year or so, the movie industry has added another option for consumers: digital copy.

Chances are that you have bought a movie in the last year that had a slip of paper in the case with a code on it. That code is redeemable (by following the instructions that are provided) for a copy of the movie to download onto different devices. Since new technology (smartphones and tablets) do not have disc drives, digital copies have become a more feasible option for these users. see more

While the ASU football team continues to play out the rest of their season, the men’s basketball team has begun practice and exhibition play.

Saturday, Nov. 10, the team will begin the season at home against Central Arkansas.

While the focus of the student body may still be in football season, the basketball team has their own reasons to why the spotlight should be on them this season. see more

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Raw Artist is an independent organization created for artists by artists. Their mission is to help provide talented new artists within the first 10 years of their career, giving them the tools and resources needed to be successful.

Raw supports all genres of art including fashion, hair and make-up. They have events in 54 different states including an award show hosted once a year to find the best local artist of each genre.

The winner of the local award goes on to compete in Los Angeles in January in the RAWards national competition. The winner of this will receive career boosting opportunities and exposure to world renowned names. Featured fashion designer Brittany Barbee. Photo courtesy of RAW: natural born artists see more

Keeping up with technology’s latest fads is nothing new for this generation. We have seen the change from the landline to the smartphone and birth of the Internet. While we have been trained to adapt in this field, previous generations are being forced into this culture that is alien to them.

We have all seen or tried to help our relatives, parents, aunts, uncles and even some grandparents, immerse themselves with today’s technology; it can get frustrating when something that comes so simply to you, is so hard to fathom for them. My mom and dad are two examples of this dilemma and since I am the go-to tech guy in the family, I hear the brunt of it.

Both parents feel forced into this technological society, with my mom, Natalie Jeffrey, saying, “You essentially cut yourself off from society [if you don’t use this technology].” see more

They’ve opened for Flogging Molly and are going to play with The Wailers. They’re on this month’s cover of  West Valley Magazine. You may have heard their songs on KWSS 106.7 FM.

Meet Black Bottom Lighters (BBL), a Valley-based reggae-rock group influenced by Bob Marley, Sublime and Slightly Stoopid.

The band comprises of Ryan “Stilly” Stillwell on lead vocals, Taide “T” Pineda on vocals and guitar, Jose Aquino on bass, Ryan “McPhatty” McPhatter on drums, Kelyn Weaver on keyboards, Phil Keyser on lead guitar and Rushdi “Rush” Shakeel as the DJ. see more

“Before we fall apart at the seams.” The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll may not have been referring to the video game industry, but that’s the name of the game. And what name might that be? Patching, patching and patching.

You know those updates you get, either on Xbox or PlayStation that won’t let you play online until you download them? Those are the patches or updates that change something within the game to help fix something that may be broken or improperly working.

Usually fans will go to the developer’s forums and discussion boards to tell them that a specific aspect of the game is not working as it should. More often than not, developers heed the call of the fans and do their best to repair the error. What goes on behind the scenes of patching a game? see more

It’s 6 p.m. on a Monday night, and the (insert your favorite NFL team) are playing on Monday Night Football on ESPN. However, that one morning where you woke up at the crack of dawn to register for classes, you registered for the Monday night two-hour lab class.

Problem: You need to watch a sporting event during class hours.

Solution: Social media. see more

Every generation has a designer/clothing company that dominates and creates the fashion scene starting with Coco Chanel in the 1920s.

Despite the provocative name and nature of Nasty Gal, it has seemed to win over and dominate ladies and fashionistas in their 20s. From 2008 (the year Nasty Gal was born) to 2011, the online clothing site saw a 10,000 percent growth curve in their sales. That’s huge. But how did they do it?

Today’s fashion has a “been there done that attitude,” and every decade seems to repeat itself more and more rapidly as time goes on; hence why vintage has become so popular. see more