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Online Gamers Solve Stubborn HIV Enzyme Mystery in Weeks

So much for people who say there's "no point" to playing video games...

A group of online gamers have solved a molecular puzzle that stumped scientists for years and could become key to finding a cure for AIDS. The gamers needed only three weeks to predict the structure of an enzyme that plays a critical role in the way HIV multiplies. Solving the puzzle has eluded scientists for for more than a decade, reports Raw Story.

Their target was a monomeric protease enzyme, a cutting agent in the complex molecular tailoring of retroviruses, a family that includes HIV. Figuring out the structure of proteins is vital for understanding the causes of many diseases and developing drugs to block them.

But a microscope gives only a flat image of what to the outsider looks like a plate of one-dimensional scrunched-up spaghetti. Pharmacologists, though, need a 3-D picture that "unfolds" the molecule and rotates it in order to reveal potential targets for drugs.

This is where Foldit comes in. Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington, it is a fun-for-purpose video game in which gamers, divided into competing groups, compete to unfold chains of amino acids -- the building blocks of proteins -- using a set of online tools.

PC Mag adds: "According to Fox, it took players a matter of days to come up with models that were solid enough for researchers to translate into scientific rendering of the protein. ... Foldit has not only made this breakthrough with AIDS research, but it has also aided in Cancer and Alzheimer’s research."

WATCH: Meet "Grand Theft Auto IV's" Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince

Last week, Rod 2.0 reported the newest release from Rockstar Games, "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony". The title character is Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince, a Tom Ford-styled, pansexual crime lord and nightclub owner. Rockstar has begun a multimedia promotion campaign around "Gay Tony", including wallpapers, game trailer and video ads on Hulu.

The new mature-rated NSFW language trailer takes players inside Hercules, the gay dance mega-club owned by Prince and populated by circuit boys with bulging biceps and form fitting fashions. Gay Tony parties hard on the dance floor and later tells one of the WeHo clones: "In my day, gay guys used to be lonely, needy and lost. Now they're all in relationships!"

The expansion doesn't let you play as Tony—but as his bodyguard Luis Lopez—but Lyle Masaki at After Elton is impressed so far: "This strikes me as another groundbreaking moment for gay representation in video games. Tony's no role model but he's carved out his own sphere of influence in Liberty City. If he's like his GTA counterparts, he'll be giving the player orders instead of begging for help. We still haven't reached the point where a major game has a player character written as gay but this gets pretty close."

As a special nod to gay fans and gaymers, the dance music in the trailer samples gay dance innovator Patrick Crowley and the iconic Sylvester. Watch, AFTER THE JUMP.

"Grand Theft Auto IV" Debuts "The Ballad of Gay Tony"

Rocktar Games releases the highly anticipated trailer for the latest game and fourth generation of the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise: "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony". The title character is Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince, a Tom Ford-styled, pansexual crime lord and nightclub owner who tells  henchman and game protagonist Luis Lopez: "I'm the only man in the history of this town with the best gay and straight clubs at the same time, and I'm about to lose everything!'"

Videogames Republic explains the plot which is strangely reminiscent of blatino thugporn: "Gamers take control of Lopez who attempts to get nightclub owner, Gay Tony out of debt. But things aren’t so clear-cut when Tony’s drug habits get him and Luis into a spot of bother. 'Luis has to do some of these favors and see if he can get them out of debt' and 'the situation with Tony’s drug problems gets worse and worse, and Tony gets more and more out of control,' [Rockstar co-founder Sam] Houser told USA Today."

Not quite sure what are those "favors" but rough trade Luis Lopez reminds his boss: "Gay Tony? You'll always be the king of this town. You are the king of this town."

TBoGT "will likely be a mature-rated title" when it comes out on Xbox 360 as a downloadable extension for "Grand Theft Auto IV" on Oct. 29. Club kids and gaymers will love, love, love  the virtual nightclubs, disco ball and non-stop dance music. The dance track featured on the trailer is "Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz. The song really is infectious. Watch, AFTER THE JUMP.

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty Makes Push for Gay Games 2014

Sorry for being a day or so late with this one: Despite scorching temps in the 90s, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty rallied a crowd to make a push for the Gay Games IX, The Freedom Games, in the nation's capital in 2014 and stage "the most successful games in history."

Fenty told the crowd of about one thousand at Stead Field on 17th Street in DuPont Circle: "This is a fabulous city. The city's hot right now—hot in lots of ways.  We have, not only fabulous, but a growing GLBT community. We have organized sports in so many different ways. And we are more than ready to host the Gay Games, without any question."

The mayor continued: "What I'll say to you as the Mayor of the District of Columbia is, we will put the resources of the government at your disposal. We will make sure not only that we do everything necessary to make these games successful, but that they are the best Games ever, and no other city will ever be able to match the amount of support and resources we put into it."

Boston and Cleveland are also vying for the 2014 Gay Games. The District will makes its final presentation to the Federation of Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, in late September. The winning city will be announced Sept. 29.