Little Miss Sunshine

I don’t own a PS3 or a 360. I have no idea what bump mapping is, and I’m only vaguely aware of what, exactly, constitutes a particle effect. I have yet to play Halo 3, or, for that matter, more than a few minutes of Halo 2. I’m an avid gamer, sure, but I’m certainly not your average gamer.

Mostly, I base my game purchases on handheld titles I can play in quick bursts in my office (or, much more likely, in the second floor men’s room when I need to sneak out for a brief sanity break) and console titles that I can “play” with Li’l X. And, like any geeky 30-something, a significant chunk of my annual videogame budget goes to retro titles for play on the consoles of my halcyon youth.

If you, like me, aren’t currently crotch-deep in Portal or Eye of Judgment, chances are the more established channels of videogame journalism have left you a bit wanting of late. If that’s the case, then allow me to introduce you to Little Miss Gamer.

The Little Miss Gamer show is the most recent project from our friends at PBC Productions, the folks who brought us The New Adventures of Captain S and the recent Gamers Against Violence documentary. It features PBC’s own Lindsey – who is also, coincidentally enough, known as Z – and it really runs counter to what we as gamers have come to expect from video reviews.

She doesn’t try and dazzle us with technical specs and industry-speak, nor does she play the whole thing for laughs. It’s simply a low-key, conversational, woman-on-the-street approach that works exceedingly well.

Admittedly, Lindsey’s no Yahtzee, and in this case that’s a very good thing.

In this premiere episode (the previous review mentioned in the viewer mail segment was for Still Gaming), Z reviews Missile Command in both its classic and contemporary incarnations. Her approach is both nostalgic and anecdotal, and she even manages to work in the slightest hint of social commentary. In the end, you come away from a viewing feeling more like you’ve just had a casual conversation with a friend than watched a videogame review.

PBC touts Little Miss Gamer as “a game review show for everyone,” but I respectfully disagree. It’s actually more of a game review show for those gamers who are neither Xbox Live douchebags nor Evercrack addicts; it’s a game review show for folks who game for pleasure, as opposed to those who do it for the sake of following the lead of their respective demographics.

In other words: it’s a keeper. Watch it. Discuss it. Digg it.

Nerdy boys, get ready to meet your newest geek girl heartthrob, and, discriminating gamer girls, prepare to welcome one of your own.