[Editor's note: HarassmentPanda talks about Link for his Monthly Musing piece. -- CTZ]

As the days ticked by for this month's Musing, I watched the Community Blogs with nervous anticipation. Surely someone was going to write about Link. How could no one mention one of gaming's most iconic and, in my opinion, relatable characters? Some came close, but no one took the plunge.

Only now, at 1:00 am on July 31, have I come to terms with the fact that I will be the one who must shoulder the monumental responsibility of doing justice to what is arguably Miyamoto's greatest creation. Why is Link so personally special? Why could Link be considered the most easily relatable character of all time? Read on to find out. 

[Editor's note: HarassmentPanda gives us the lowdown on the Entertainment Software Association and what it means to all of us. It's a very informative read and is a very important topic to all gamers to understand. -- CTZ] 

Recently, the Internet has been abuzz with discussion surrounding Activision and Vivendi’s decision not to continue their membership with the Entertainment Software Association (”ESA”). Coupled with a rumored defection by LucasArts, gamers have begun to wonder if this is a portent of troubled times for the gaming industry’s premier trade association. While it is too early to declare that the ESA is “rapidly taking on water,” a continued decline in membership over the next year could signal trouble.

Overall, news of the Activision/Vivendi departure was met with a predominantly favorable response from gamers. While there was an occasional expression of concern for the future of the organization, the majority of gamers seemed to be bewildered with what the ESA actually does. As a result, many were proud of Activision and Vivendi for pulling out of an organization they viewed as being largely irrelevant.

Interestingly, complaints went beyond anonymous remarks from Internet users. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter chastised the ESA for being too passive since the departure of former president Doug Lowenstein. And, perhaps strangest of all, Mike Wilson, CEO of Gamecock Studios, recently released a snarky video announcing that he is running for ESA President. More after the jump.

Today I had the rare honor of not only attending a Supreme Court argument, but also spending an hour and a half with Justice Scalia, the Court's second most senior Associate Justice.

Those of you who are familiar with American jurisprudence are probably familiar with Justice Scalia's reputation as an extremely conservative justice who is a strict originalist when it comes to constitutional interpretation. For those that are unfamiliar with the different schools of thought in constitutional interpretation, originalist believe that the terms of the United States Constitution should be interpreted as they were intended at the time they were ratified. The critical question asked by originalist is, "What would a reasonable person at the time of ratification have understood these words to mean?" (For a look at opposing schools of thought Google "interpretivists" and/or "living Constitution.")

While the bulk of my time with Justice Scalia was focused on matters that are probably largely uninteresting to Destructoid readers, I did take this rare opportunity to ask the Justice his feelings concerning recent state videogame legislation. In particular, I asked him whether as an originalist he believed that state laws banning the sale of mature videogames to minors ran afoul of the First Amendment.

Hit the jump to see what the Justice had to say.