The drill is familiar: a lawmaker goes on a newsmaker show, puts on a Real Serious Face, is teed up some opportunity to tell everyone that scary scary video games bear some responsibility for America's love affair with gun massacres.

Well, that wasn't the drill yesterday on Fox News Sunday. Not for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. That's partly because host Chris Wallace laid a smarm trap for the Democrats' House leader, trying to shame her into telling her rich liberal friends in the entertainment industry to knock it off. Not only did Pelosi not cop out, she actually offered a defense of video games as being not the source of the problem.

"[T]he evidence says that, in Japan, for example, they have the most violent games and the lowest death—mortality—from guns," she said. "I don't know what the explanation is for that except they may have good gun laws."

Now, some on the other side of this might point out Pelosi's tendencies—she represents San Francisco, games development has a big presence in that area, I'm sure her contributors include those in the industry, and she has zero to lose by pissing off the NRA or Second Amendment supporters.

Japan may not like being characterized as home of the most violent games—that's rather sweeping. But at least when someone—of considerable influence—was given the opportunity to make a politically safe scapegoating of games and those who enjoy them, she didn't take the bait.

Nancy Pelosi: Video Games Are Not The Reason For Violence In America [Huffington Post]

Nekki Games' stylish free-running platformer Vector is one of the coolest games on Facebook. In December it became one of the coolest games on iOS, and now it's one of the coolest games on Android. Funny how that works.

Vector for Android brings the smooth and sexy silhouette parkour action of the Facebook and iOS versions to the ever-growing Android gaming population, giving them a chance to break free of their totalitarian shackles to sprint, slide and spin across the rooftops. It's like playing the best part of a modern action movie over and over again.

The Android version combines the free and premium versions from iOS into one game. Players get the first 20 levels for no cost, and can upgrade to the full experience for $.99, gaining access to all 40 levels plus future updates, including survival mode and player-vs.-player.

Here's a vid I took of the Facebook version last year. Picture this, but smoother.

Vector is one of my favorite games on any platform, so it's great to see it reaching a whole new audience. Celebrating individuality is always better in a large group.

Chinese actress Li Xiao Ran (李小冉）is known for many things in China; she's famous for her roles on both the big screen and the TV screen as well as her prowess as a dancer. The one thing that she really isn't known for is being a gamer, and now she's out to change that.

Best known for her roles in Hong Kong movies Dragon Tiger Gate and Wu Xia, Li made a recent appearance on the popular Chinese variety talk show "Day Day Up" (天天向上). On the show, Li claimed that she was a gamer, and that her love of video games and gaming culture is so extreme that she could be classified as a video game "Kong" (游戏控). The "Kong" suffix is basically Chinese for otaku (nerd), and Ms. Li says that she's a gaming otaku.

During her appearance on the show, Li was the mystery guest—the hint about her contained a tiny tidbit about how Li can play five different games on five different tablets at the same time. Li herself claimed on the show that whenever she has time she plays online games, saying "When I'm at home I can play on my computer while I'm eating."

Unfortunately there isn't a video or pictures of Li playing on five tablets at once, but many believe her. Chinese games are often designed to be played with one hand so that the player can smoke or eat while playing, so playing multiple one handed games isn't that hard. Li's also been known to play video games during the little off time she receives during film shoots, and other actors she's worked with have called her out on her gaming.

Li's status as a gamer isn't anything new—on another talk show last year, Li said that her ideal partner would have to be a gamer, someone she can play with. However, Li is probably one of the biggest mainland Chinese actors/actresses to be a gamer, Edison Chen aside of course (though he's also Canadian and in Hong Kong).

李小冉自曝是游戏控：一手玩5不同游戏 [People's Daily]

To mark the 25th anniversary of stealth series Metal Gear, Japanese figure maker Kaiyodo is releasing a figure of Naked Snake from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. This figure is part of Kaiyodo's posable Revoltech Yamaguchi line.

The figure will be priced at ¥3,980 (US$43) and will be out on April 15. Pre-orders start on February 15 in Japan.

I like the little cardboard box. Though, "25th" on the side isn't exactly stealth subtle.

リボルテックヤマグチ スネーク, 2, 3 [@kojima_pro]

海洋堂、リボルテックに「MGS PEACE WALKER」のスネーク登場！ [GameWatchImpress]

Previously we've translated a report about a young woman in China threatening suicide after receiving a fake iPhone—well now, there's a young Chinese man in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, threatening to commit suicide over video game equipment.

Late last month, 19 year-old Zhou (same surname as me!) wanted to buy a set of equipment for an online game he was playing worth 6000 yuan ($960), but because he didn't have the money, he asked his father for it. His father, a public sanitation worker who only makes about $320 a month, was unable to meet Zhou's demands.

According to People's Daily, after his father had turned him down, young Zhou threatened to commit suicide. He climbed onto a second story platform above his family's home and threatened to jump, saying he wouldn't come down until 6000 yuan was presented to him. After some ruckus, neighbors and the police both arrived on the scene to attempt to calm Zhou down. He was reported to have shouted "You don't give me money, I'm not coming down from here today!"

According to the public security bureau of Hangzhou, Zhou's mother left him and his father when he was very young. Zhou Senior worked long hours to raise his son. Zhou junior supposedly spent most of his time playing video games and online games. People's Daily reports that he borrowed money from friends, family, and strangers to play online games and to buy in-game equipment.

Scared that his son would do something stupid, the elder Zhou managed to grab about 2000 yuan and presented it to his son. Looking at the money, Zhou junior said it wasn't enough for him—he said he wanted 6000. Looking out for the safety of the young man, public security, firefighters and neighbors gathered an additional 4000 yuan and gave it to his father. Upon seeing the 6000 yuan that he had "asked" for, Zhou finally agreed to climb down.

Once on the ground, Zhou junior took the cash from his father and attempted to leave the scene. The police and locals were reportedly flabbergasted by Zhou's indifference to his father's plight and the severity of his actions.

It is unreported what happened to Zhou after he attempted to leave with the money, but I hope someone slapped some sense into him. His father makes 2000 yuan a month... 2000 a month!

90后少年为买游戏装备 竟对环卫工老父以死相逼 [People's Daily]

The main draw at this weekend's Wonder Festival was all the plastic on display. The twice a year event showcases recently released and upcoming figurines and statues, as well as rare, customized ones.

Websites Gigazine and Akiba Hobby checked out the figure festivities, as did sister site Kotaku Japan. Have a look at the gallery above, and start making your wish list.

ドラゴンと呼ばれた男「ブルース・リー」, 「歌で銀河が救えるわけないでしょ」シェリル・ノーム , 「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険」
【 ワンフェス2013冬 】グッドスマイルカンパニーブースを完全攻略。200枚オーバーのギャラリーでどうぞ！ [Kotaku Japan]
4, 3, 2, 1 [Akiba Hobby]

Last Thursday, a notorious Chinese hacker was arrested in Qingdao, Shangdong province. The hacker, a 24-year-old surnamed Zhang, has been plaguing many Chinese internet companies over the last year. iFeng.com reports that Zhang was arrested in an internet cafe in Qingdao, doing the very thing that made him a criminal: using other people's money to buy in-game equipment.

Zhang, a native of Shangdong Province, dropped out of high school and moved to Guangxi province. While living in Guangxi, Zhang started working in an internet cafe where he spent most of his time playing video games. Zhang wanted to purchase a set of armor in an unnamed Chinese MMO. Unable to afford the set, he started digging online about ways to hack the game. In his search, Zhang learned about hacking and started to steal player accounts, siphoning their money and their equipment into his own.

Zhang learned more about hacking and, after some time, he started to use his skills to extort web companies in Guangxi. He took down a web design company and sent the webmaster a ransom note, demanding $8,000 for the site to be restored. He then tried the same with two other companies, amassing a total of $24,000.

Over the course of 2012, Zhang extorted seven different companies for a total of $32,000. During that time, he moved back to Qingdao. Zhang's MO was to attack a website and then, within 24 hours claim, responsibility for the attack. After he established that he was the attacker, he would ask the company for money for the site to be restored—if the company failed to provide the funds, the sites would remain down.

iFeng reports that local police received a tip that Zhang was the notorious hacker after he had attacked a game company's website. In a joint effort, police tracked Zhang's bank account and linked it to the extortion cases. They apprehended him inside an internet cafe in Qingdao. Police were supposedly shocked to find that the unemployed high school dropout Zhang was the source of all the internet extortion cases.

高中毕业玩游戏"练"成黑客 一年吸金20万 [People's Daily]

Once upon a time, Maki Goto was a huge mainstream popstar in Japan. She was also a huge gamer and even appeared in Monster Hunter commercials in 2011. Now, supposedly, she's just a huge gamer.

Goto's private life had been rocky in recent years with its share of tragedies and at the end of 2011, she took a break from the entertainment industry.

Now the rumor is that Goto spends all of her time playing video games. "She's always gaming," a long time friend allegedly told Tokyo Sports. "During her long sessions, she's playing up to 30 hours straight." Goto's games of choice, it seems, are Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, and Animal Crossing.

And when Goto talks, her friend tells Tokyo Sports, that she only talks about video games. "I wonder when she sleeps," the friend added. "As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem like she's going to return to work in show business."

Goto's gaming room, which she previously showed off on a Japanese variety show (above), supposedly has all her consoles, games, and walkthrough guides as well as a sofa bed, which she can crash on when she finishes playing. There's even a small refrigerator that she can get drinks from if needed.

If true, this might be just the break that Goto wanted. Though, thirty hours? That sounds like work.

ゴマキ「ゲーム漬け」の日々 [Tokyo Sports]

This weekend, the winter Wonder Festival barreled through Tokyo. The twice a year event is primarily for figurines, but hey, where there are nerds, there are cosplaying nerds.

Here's a sample of some of the cosplay on hand, with photos from Gigazine, Akiba Blog, Otaku.com, and Asagawo Blog. Some of the most interesting cosplay were the ones in which characters were reworked or reimagined entirely. That straight up Raiden ain't half bad, either.

Click each image to expand to full size.

美少女から聖闘士にメイドまで、ド派手な衣装がそろったコスプレ写真まとめ in ワンフェス2013[冬] [Gigazine]
ワンダーフェスティバル 2013[冬] の男性＆ネタなコスプレイヤー [アキバBlog]
ワンダーフェスティバル 2013[冬] コスプレまとめ記事！まおーさまマジまおーさますぎるｗ【計74枚】 [オタク.com]
1, 2, 3, 4 [アサガヲBlog]

Well, they caught him. Apparently. After turning an anime director's computer into a Trojan Horse for menacing messages, after threatening to blow up Nintendo, and after sending a Japanese cops on a wild goose cat chase, the man believed to be the country's most wanted (and dangerous) troll is in police custody.

The suspect is Yusuke Katayama. He's 30 years old and really likes cats.

The capture came after one final stunt that involved a stray cat and a memory card. After that, the alleged hacker said he would not be sending any more messages.

According to AP, the Japanese authorities were able to use some good old-fashioned police work to nab this suspect: tracing the memory card and analyzing security camera footage. Security cameras near where the stray cat was found had apparently captured a suspicious-looking individual. Another security camera spotted Katayama leaving the scene on a motorcycle.

Japan's ANN News reports that the day before Katayama was arrested, he spent about an hour at a cat cafe in Tokyo's Asakusa, where he ordered a beer and played with cats. The manager of the cat cafe said that Katayama really got into playing with the cats, picking them up and spinning them around on the floor. "It seemed like he was really into cats," the cafe's manager said.

At another cat cafe in Akihabara, police have confiscated a computer which Katayama supposedly used. Staff at the cafe said Katayama came to the internet cafe seven times since last October and would use the net for about two to three hours each time, reports Yahoo Japan.

Back in 2005, Katayama, who apparently dropped out of university due to his online gaming addiction, was arrested for posting murder threats on 2ch, Japan's largest online forum. According to ANN News, Katayama threatened an employee at a major record label, demanding that the company stop using a cat as its mascot. Katayama, who was found guilty, said at the time, "I wanted to see my messages become hot topics online."

This latest string of attacks, it seems, was an effort to embarrass the police.

Now that Katayama has been fingered as the primary suspect, a photo of him embracing a cat has surfaced on MSN. "This guy really, really likes cats," wrote one 2ch user (via Itai News). "Nobody who likes cats is bad," wrote another. "He seems like a good person," added yet another. Others wryly chimed in that no way somebody this nice to cats could be evil, and that the cops got the wrong guy.

Elsewhere, other 2ch members said that Katayama looked like your "typical" otaku (geek), and created images like this:

On the left, it loosely says, "Online Katayama." On the right, there's a photo of the suspect as he was being taken into police custody. The text reads, "Real World Katayama." That real world Katayama picture isn't accurate, however. He should be holding a cat.

Katayama is telling authorities there is no truth to these charges and is denying he's guilty.

Back in 2006, game localizer and author Hiroko Yoda from AltJapan photographed the stray cat (above) way before it was used to hide the memory card.