Over on Computerworld.com, I have an article entitled "You can run, but you'll only die tired: Gaming's 'baddest' villains". It was originally slated to run in mid-April but was pushed back to today in sensitivity of the Virginia Tech shootings. (Even though video games were not involved in that tragedy, Computerworld nonetheless considered it inappropriate to glorify violence in its wake.)

The structure of the assignment was very loose, and I enjoyed the opportunity to break it up into five categories (Most Persistent, Most Memorable, Most Creative, Most Sinister, and Most Terrifying), with two tiers per category. Being able to acknowledge my favorite computer was a bonus.

Despite the outlet where the article was published, it is noticeably lacking in computer gaming villains. My own background is in console games, so that is what I drew on. I'm not opposed to research, but any article that aims to rank the "best" or "worst" anything must almost perforce be subjective. Nonetheless, thanks to Rob Boyd, Arc Nova, Chris Lackey for their invaluable suggestions, and the fans at ChatterBox for their feedback.

Two insider anecdotes: the headline ("you can run, but you'll only die tired") was my "taunt" on XBAND, the Super Nintendo head-to-head modem service, where I played Super Mario Kart and Super Street Fighter II under the handle Xenon; taunts were exchanged between competitors prior to every match. My editors and I were scratching our heads over a good kicker, or sub-headline, for the article. Finally I looked to my own cubicle's décor for inspiration.