She said yes. You're dying to know, and Kotaku can confirm that for you now. Even though her marriage proposal came from a smart-aleck robot and contained references to herpes and, well, the big A, last night Tora told Ben yes, she will marry him,

The proposal, delivered by Borderlands' comedy-reliefbot Claptrap in a video developed over a week by Gearbox Software, did not conjure images of bended knees, rose petals and those silhouetted DeBeers ads. It was a little inappropriate. That's OK. "We're a little inappropriate," Tora said.

"I think ‘Wow,' has replaced 90 percent of my vocabulary," said Tora, a diehard Borderlands fan like her fiance, Ben. "Every time I try to say something it's just, ‘Wow.' ‘Holy crap.' ‘Wow!' It blows my mind Ben was not only able to think of this, and he had the courage to try it and ask Gearbox to do it, but they actually responded and were more than willing to help out.

"From a gamer's point of view, what more could you ask for than this?" she said.

Rewind: Ben and Tora live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, not far from Gearbox's Plano headquarters. When they first met, Ben had to have a very serious, somewhat uncomfortable conversation about his lifestyle. You know: "I'm a gamer."

As luck would have it, so is Tora. Neither knew of the other's video game habit until Ben brought it up. And Borderlands was easily the favorite game of both. (They're both level 61, Ben playing as Roland, Tora as Lilith.)

"One of the greatest indicators, early on, that we were compatible, she found a red chest, and in it she found a caustic rocket launcher. And she started giggling," Ben said.

"I'm really bad at video games, so I do a lot of RPGs," Tora said. "I picked up Borderlands and, hey, I love the guy, but I kinda kicked his ass."

"She did," Ben affirms. "I've been playing first person shooters since Wolfenstein 3D."

So a few months ago, as it became apparent that they were headed for the wedding aisle, Ben hatched a crazy plan. Not really a plan, actually, just a request. Would Gearbox send Claptrap to do a proposal video? If not, no biggie, Ben said, he still wanted the studio to know that they are big fans of the game and grew close while playing it.

To Ben's surprise, Gearbox said yes. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford himself got involved, Ben said. "He was one of the biggest pushers of the idea, saying ‘We really need to do something on this,'" said Ben, who met Pitchford a couple of times when he visited the Gearbox office to work on the video.

"Adam Fletcher, he's the one who contacted me originally and was working on this video left and right," Ben said. "I really have to thank him. Chris Faylor, also, he did a lot of work to build the video."

With the proposal shot and ready to go, Ben needed a cover story for getting Tora and 50 friends together without tipping off he was popping the question. His birthday is coming up, so that was ostensibly the purpose of last night's party. And as for the video, "I told everyone I would be showing the trailer for Borderlands II."

It ended up being a more exclusive reveal than that.

Ben did drop to his knee and present the engagement ring, which Tora accepted, and then the two locked lips as everyone cheered. Fade out, up the music, roll credits.

Wait, hold on a sec.

"He got to go to Gearbox?" Tora said. "I was like, ‘You bastard, I want to go!'"

The couple will visit the studio sometime in the next week. And Gearbox is invited to their wedding in August.

Hello, traveler! We have nuptials for you on the Fyrestone Bounty Board! This is a video Borderlands studio Gearbox made for superfan Ben, to help him propose to his Borderlands-superfan girlfriend Tora, and it is outstanding.

Ben reached out to Gearbox a while back, mentioning that when he and Tora first started dating, he had to give her "the gamer talk," in which he explained his hobby and the fact it might make him incommunicative and emotionally unavailable for hours at a time. Tora's response: "I love Borderlands! Let's play!"

Since then, the happy couple has co-op'ed the campaign from start to finish on both playthroughs, plus the DLC. Borderlands "easily made that awkward starting out stage of any relationship go extremely smooth," Ben wrote. So when he made plans to propose, he asked Gearbox if, on the off chance, he could get some help from the potty-mouthed Borderlands robot Claptrap in doing the job.

That video, which took Gearbox a week to make and is being shown here exclusively, is the studio's answer. We haven't yet heard Tora's but we've reached out to Ben to get a full after action report. We wish the couple all the best and congratulate Gearbox for this five-star piece of fan service. It's, uh, getting a little dusty in here.

Hello, traveler! We have nuptials for you on the Fyrestone Bounty Board! This is a video Borderlands studio Gearbox made for superfan Ben, to help him propose to his Borderlands-superfan girlfriend Tora, and it is outstanding.

Ben reached out to Gearbox a while back, mentioning that when he and Tora first started dating, he had to give her "the gamer talk," in which he explained his hobby and the fact it might make him incommunicative and emotionally unavailable for hours at a time. Tora's response: "I love Borderlands! Let's play!"

Since then, the happy couple has co-op'ed the campaign from start to finish on both playthroughs, plus the DLC. Borderlands "easily made that awkward starting out stage of any relationship go extremely smooth," Ben wrote. So when he made plans to propose, he asked Gearbox if, on the off chance, he could get some help from the potty-mouthed Borderlands robot Claptrap in doing the job.

That video, which took Gearbox a week to make and is being shown here exclusively, is the studio's answer. We haven't yet heard Tora's but we've reached out to Ben to get a full after action report. We wish the couple all the best and congratulate Gearbox for this five-star piece of fan service. It's, uh, getting a little dusty in here.

Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford does a delightful job of explaining the need for a game to "hook" the player. It can be heard on the latest instalment of the always-excellent Irrational Interviews podcast.

Meagan VanBurkleo, who we've seen before as the Princess of Persia, returns to wow us again with a day spent as Mad Moxxi, a maniacal star of Gearbox's shooter Borderlands.

If you haven't played the game before, Mad Moxxi is like Tina Turner in Mad Max 3. Only less terrifying.

While the pictures are great, it's also interesting reading the accompanying blog post to find out just how much work goes into a costume like this. Some people like to make all their own stuff, but in this case, nearly every little item had to be sourced, not sewn.

Cosplay Feature: Mad Moxxi [meaganvanburkleo][thanks MSJ!]

My acting teacher taught me a variety of things, such as how to cry on command and sound really excited about floor wax.

But more importantly, she taught me that the hardest roles of my career wouldn't involve emotional death scenes, historical research, or any kind of physical and emotional transformation.

The hardest roles would be playing the attractive, heroic leading lady.

Not because the scenes are demanding in the least. In fact, they're usually some of the easiest: Smile, look pretty. Shoot gun, look pretty. Play hard to get, look pretty. Pouty-lipped reaction shot. Repeat.

My acting coach meant that it's easy to fall into the trap of just going through the motions as the ‘pretty girl.' I mean, who cares about my character's subtext (the emotion underneath the words) as long as I had a low-cut shirt, flat abs, and body oil, right? True – and there's nothing wrong with sex appeal – but it's the job of real actors to take something superficial and give it depth.

This same concept applies to video game heroines.

In the original Tomb Raiders, Lara Croft needed nothing more than D-cups and 9-millimeters to satisfy her demographic. But now that the bar of characterization has been raised, what makes a good heroine?

Personally, I compare it to what I've learned in acting: Leading ladies have to be tough, but accessible. Beautiful, with a vulnerable, ugly side. A strong woman and a scared little girl at the same time. Not to mention outfits and overall style need to make sense. And what about throwing some humor in there? A sense of humor makes her relatable. In other words, female protagonists should be well rounded… and not just in the physical sense.

These high standards of mine are the reason I still don't have a favorite video game heroine. The funniest thing, however, is that each of my requirements have been met – only with different characters.

So, I'm breaking all the rules, throwing on my mad scientist goggles, and splicing together some Frankenstein monsters, to see if I can create my perfect female lead.

Monster #1 – The Witty, Complex Beauty

Elena Fisher's humor (Uncharted series) + Lara Croft's style & weapons (Tomb Raider series) + Bonnie MacFarlane's emotional strength (Red Dead Redemption)

No firearm compares to Nathan Drake's arsenal of one-liners, and while he's not the first wisecracking hero, he's one of the first to have a sarcastic female counterpart who can shoot the jokes right back. Elena's sense of humor could very well be the most lovable thing about her. Combine that charming personality with Lara Croft's short-shorts and pistols, and – well, talk about a firecracker!

You can't deny that Lara Croft's body is as classic to video games as Mario's red hat. I loved her style in Tomb Raider: Underworld, and frankly, I'd wear the same thing if I were chimney jumping like a spider monkey in a hot, sticky jungle. To top off a beauty like Lara with the quick wit of Elena, I'd add Bonnie MacFarlane's full range of emotions.

Bonnie is a real, relatable woman in a man's world. We see her as a protective landowner and a respectful daughter. We watch her take a liking to John Marston, which turns into a silent love, and eventually… we see her realize that love can never develop, as she kicks the dirt like a sad little girl.

While Elena's humor and Lara's style are good first steps toward creating a dynamic heroine, it's really the imperfections and heart of Bonnie that round out this Frankenstein monster.

Monster #2 – The Hot, Parkouring Zombie Assassin

Zoey's relatability (Left4Dead) + Faith Connors' acrobatics (Mirror's Edge) + Rubi Malone's fashion (Wet)

The Zompocalypse is going to happen. We've all accepted it.

While we know virtually nothing about Zoey from Left4Dead, gamers are obsessed with her. I realized it's because she is one of the most relatable female characters around. She's extremely normal – a girl you could easily run into on the street. I guarantee if the outbreak happened tomorrow, I would be Zoey personified… but I'd wish I had the skills of Faith Connors.

Imagine being a survivor among zombies with the ability to parkour. Talk about a game-changer! Faith's unique, real-life free-running ability given to a sharpshooter like Zoey produces a character that's only missing one thing: some sexy style.

Wet wasn't exactly Game of the Year, but its star, Rubi Malone, knows how to dress. Her style is practical, sexy, and gives off a "Don't screw with me" vibe. Why do I think my down-to-earth, Apocalypse-surviving heroine needs more than just jeans and a hoodie? It's the classic saying, "Look good, feel good," because hell, if I looked like Rubi at the end of humanity, my ass-kicking ego would be bigger than a free Lady Gaga concert.

Monster #3 – The Loyal, Independent Phasewalker… with a Sword

Lilith's Phasewalk (Borderlands) + Alyx Vance's complexity and independence (Half-Life series) + Lightning's gunblade (Final Fantasy XIII)

Video games are fictional, and the best thing about fiction is that you can give characters unrealistic features, such as incredible super powers. Lilith's Phasewalk in Borderlands allows her to turn invisible and slip out of danger, then reappear in the center of the battle with a shockwave of pain. Yet, this amazing power is given to a character that's hard to get close to. Imagine this power given to a strong, sassy, beautifully complex character like Alyx Vance.

Alyx, more than Gordon Freeman, is the face of Half-Life 2, giving us a real human with which to connect as we control a voiceless hero. Maybe I'm just a sucker for that wink of hers, but Alyx's personality is a breath of fresh air in the video game land of superficial beauties.

Lilith and Alyx? They're all about guns. So, we'll stick with what they're familiar with and throw in a sword. The Gunblades from Final Fantasy are undeniably cool, and the one wielded by Lightning is probably the most gorgeous of all. Lightning's weapon, Alyx's depth, Lilith's powers – yeah, I'd play that game.

There is an obvious shortage of multifaceted female protagonists. Even in Game Informer's "30 Characters Who Defined a Decade," only six were women. In our male-dominated world of games, I'd love to see more female heroes that break the shallow mold and show us their gritty, even ugly side. And hey, a few more funny girls wouldn't hurt, either.

So, those are my creations – what are yours?

Lisa Foiles is best known as the former star of Nickelodeon's award-winning comedy show, All That. She currently works as a graphic designer and writes for her game site, Save Point. For more info, visit Lisa's official website.

That's Mikey Neumann, writer on Gearbox's megahit Borderlands, smashing up living room furniture for the debut episode of "Anthony Saves The World." His mom did not actually give him that table. It's from IKEA - it's got cardboard in it.

But they are in fact filming in Mikey's home. "Anthony" is Anthony Burch, another Gearbox writer. And the episode's director of photography is Brian Thomas, Gearbox's cinematic director. The music, also, is done by Danny Baranowsky, who composed the soundtrack for Super Meat Boy.

Mikey promises more episodes are coming, so be sure to check back at his YouTube page.

Gaming on the Mac improves later this year when Gearbox Software's shoot 'n' loot hit Borderlands comes to Apple computers courtesy of publisher Feral Interactive, shipping complete with everything a Vault hunter would need.

This is the "Game of the Year Edition" of Borderlands, which includes add-ons The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxiʼs Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrapʼs New Robot Revolution. All that Borderlands will be available to Mac OS X gamers on December 3, thanks to Feral, which will charge you US$49.95 if you're in the U.S., £34.95 in the UK and €39.95 in the rest of Europe. Borderlands for Mac is available for pre-order from the publisher right now.

Welcome to the club, Mac people.

Borderlands [Feral Interactive]