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One of the biggest video games ever is now one of the biggest video games ever.

On April 19, Philadelphians with a clear view of the 29-story Cira Centre were treated to a fully-functional game of Pong on the side of the building.

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What would you do with 10,000 iPhones? How about lining them up and knocking them down for the sheer amusement of watching that much technology be reduced to extremely fancy dominoes?

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Tomb Raider's Lara Croft and BioShock Infinite's Elizabeth (Credit: Square-Enix/2K Games)Female characters have had a rather dubious run in the video game world. When they aren't damsels in distress, they're oversexualized stereotypes meant to titillate rather than foster a sense of empowerment in players.

There have been exceptions, of course -- Half-Life 2's Alyx or Samus from Metroid -- but progress has been slow. In the past year, though, the exceptions are starting to become … well, if not the rule, less of the exception.

Whether it's the rebirth of iconic female protagonist Lara Croft or the depth of a non-playable companion like BioShock Infinite's Elizabeth, more and more female characters are showing a strength that writers and developers have denied them previously.

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E.T. The Extra-TerrestrialNew Mexico residents might want to grab their shovels.

Those long buried copies of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the infamous Atari 2600 game that many believe contributed to the great North American video game industry crash of 1983, might be worth digging up thanks to a hacker who has seemingly fixed its biggest bugs.

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BioShock Infinite (Credit: 2K Games/Irrational Games)If there was a beacon of hope for the video game industry in the first half of 2013, it was Bioshock Infinite. The hotly-anticipated game, currently the top-rated title of the year, was the best chance for retail sales to rebound and return to positive territory.

As it turns out, Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth couldn't quite live up to that pressure -- even with Lara Croft, Kratos and the Gears of War crew backing them up.

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Artist Jeff Delgado quickly came up with a Chewbacca robot drawing based on Patton Oswalt's rant. (Credit: Jeff Delgado)An improvisational moment during the filming of "Parks and Recreation" produces a gaggle of zany suggestions for the next "Star Wars" movie -- and inspires a great Chewbacca robot drawing.

By Christopher MacManus, CNET

On Thursday's episode of the NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation," jokesmith Patton Oswalt made a brief appearance as a filibustering fool attempting to block a city council vote. According to the network, producers asked Oswalt to ramble about any subject during the skit, but what they got in return might be one of most zany and geeky "Star Wars: Episode VII" plot ideas ever heard.

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Stadium Events (Credit: Save Point Video Games)Stadium Events is one of the holy grails for video game collectors. Not because the old-school Nintendo cartridge is so much fun to play, but because the game's rarity makes it worth a small fortune.

One lucky woman found a copy in a North Carolina Goodwill store and purchased it for $7.99. The estimated value, according to gamer blog Kotaku, could be as high as $15,000. Score one for bargain hunters.

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Farmville 2 (Credit: Zynga)Not too long ago, many people believed Facebook was the Next Big Thing in gaming. Developers debated it -- sometimes ferociously -- at conventions, while venture capitalists couldn't fund the companies making those games fast enough.

But over the past few months, the air seems to have been let out of Facebook's tires. Major publishers are withdrawing their support. Pop culture breakouts like Farmville are far and few between. Most damningly, players seem to have moved on to other diversions.

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