http://insomnia.ac/
Someone (who shall remain nameless, partly because I don't remember his username -- sorry) after reading one of my posts PMed me a few months ago, asking me if I knew of any websites that offered deep, fanboy-free discussions on videogames. He told me that VGChat wasn't the best place for such commentary (I'm inclined to agree, for the most part), and wanted to know if I, being a working member of this young industry, would be so privileged as to know of such a place.
It was a great question. A magnificent question! I, like many other gamers/ forum dwellers, have grown up a little, so my interests in gaming discussion have shifted quite a bit. Being a game developer has given me a lot of hunger in expanding my knowledge beyond just my technical abilities (which are still very necessary and always in need of improvement). Unfortunately, VGC was really the only place I'd go on the Internet for any discussion on videogames, so I told my PMer, "no."
Ironically in many levels, it was through [url="http://www.actionbutton.net/"]Action Button Dot Net[/url] that I found a place that seemed to be fundamentally built for the understanding of videogames. Unlike abdn, which has a habit of making something out of a whole lot of nothing through (greatly entertaining) opinion articles mislabeled as "reviews", [url="http://insomnia.ac/"]insomnia.ac[/url] is filled with clear and concise articles that seek to elaborate on everything about our industry. They also have a (very strict) forum to discuss the articles in, and while I've only skimmed through a few topics (Right now I'm more interested in the articles), it seems to be a great place where, "deep, fanboy-free discussions on videogames" can take place. It also has reviews, although I'm not interested to ready any of them at the moment.
The man who runs the site and is the author of most articles, "Alex Kierkegaard," does suffer from the usual arrogance that plagues smart people in a medium crowded with uneducated ones. It is this arrogance that may impede his points from reaching a wide audience. Dale Carnegie, a proven master of dealing with people, said, "When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion," and "Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still." Some of his articles will upset many people because of their blunt delivery that almost disregards the opinion of the reader. If you're very fond of a game, and he happens to trash it, chances are you'll grow critical of him and dismiss any of his other points. That seemed to be the general reaction here when Speedfreak posted the abdn Manifesto. It's a shame, because he does have several interesting things to say, and if you can stomach his ego, you might come out of his articles with an interest and insight that will compel you to learn more, be it on your own or by engaging in discussion in the forums.
That is, if you care.