Welcome to the first Blog Herding of the year! This massive post lists our blog picks from over the holiday break. Happy reading!

Gaming Too Expensive?...Or More Affordable Than Ever!?
Drubacca117 breaks down console prices over the years to see if gaming this generation is as pricey as everyone thinks it is.

The Future of Game Informer Frag-Fest
The first event put together by GIO community members for community members was a success! What does the future hold for the event? eyros2K explains.

Can Gaming Help "It Get Better"?
H.E. Pennypacker responds to EA's "It Gets Better" campaign in a personal post that encourages the community to not just say it will get better, but help make it happen.

Happyginger Presents: The Twelve Days of Gamer Christmas
Christmas has already come and gone, but here's a little diddy by Happyginger that you can hold onto until the holidays come around once again. He updated it with a YouTube video.

Controversy In The Gaming Industry
The violence in video games discussion continues with this post by Enigma. He presents his defense of video games as a legitimate form of entertainment and breaks down out the negative and unnecessary controversy that constantly surrounds it.

Top Five Flash Games For Long Visits
Traveling with consoles can be a bit of a drag so here's a few Flash games to keep boredom from consuming you courtesy of The journey man.

No, It's My Turn!
EuphoricEnnui shares fond memories of gaming with his sister in this heartwarming post.

I QUIT...
Saint provides a few words on rage quitting. Share your own thoughts on this practice in the comments section of his post.

Vacationing In Video Game Land
Want to know what Warbuff's ultimate in-game vacation destinations are? Check out his post.

Blinded By Hate: Gamers And Activision
Is the power publisher really the bully gamers and media have painted it to be? Demon Ragnarok explains.

Game Informer Online Pinball FX/Zen Pinball/ Marvel Pinball Leaderboard - Week 2
Pinball FX has rightfully earned the attention of GI editors and it has certainly pulled in the community as well. Mray901 is compiling community high scores in this post. Share your own.

Editor blogs you may have missed: Tim thinks Dracula deserves more than Castlevania and marks his return to WoW, Jeff M. loves Pro Keys, Kato lists his gaming resolutions and gives you a chance to ask him questions, Joe makes fun of Tim's Sonic art and hates on the 360 dashboard, Dan explains how he got hired at GI and praises 2D gaming, and finally Adam revisits Baldur's Gate II.

Have you produced or read a blog post on gameinformer.com that you think should be considered for upcoming installments of Blog Herding? Send over an e-mail with a link to annette@gameinformer.com. I also accept bribes.