I want to get this book Alter Ego- photographs of avatars and the people who play them.

See the slideshow (with audio).

So am I the last person on earth to find out about Sasuke/Ninja Warrior? I guess you can catch it on G4 late at night (Must. Set. TiVo). However, you can find plenty of highlights (including the new impossible 2007 course) on the YouTubes.

What's amazing to me is that I feel like I'm watching people play a videogame in real life. I know that sounds so cliche, but it's just so damn true. Just look at it, if that's not a platforming side-scroller, complete with a boss stage, I don't know what is.

Spoiler alert: If you watch the show, this footage may not have aired yet. It's of one of the only people to have ever completed the 4th stage.

Evidently there are very few people (less than 1%) who've ever finished the course.

Also: There's a lady's mode as well, called Kunoichi.

Seriously, why don't we have theme parks where I live where I can pay to go play on these things? I'd die of exhaustion, but holy cow, does this look like fun real life gaming.

Friend Richard's game released some screenshots, and he notes that the gamers are all over them.

I can't tell if this is a joke. I think not. It's quite glorious, really.

I <3 nerds!

(Full thread here.)