Welcome to the first installment of our newest column – the Sketchy Gamer.

The idea for it occurred to us during a rare moment when we set down our controllers and felt compelled to pick up a pencil and share a different take on the games that take up so much room in our lives.

If you have one of those moments yourself, please send us the product of your musings. There will be no one person assigned to write the column every month because we want to encourage you to come up with your own and submit them. We look forward to getting both your drawings and topic suggestions.

Most of the staff here at Game Almighty were big Rock Band fans. We say “were” because having to attend “band practice” and the boss’ compulsory “jam sessions” after work every day seems to have taken most of the fun out of it.

But it did get us thinking.

We figure two of the most compelling aspects of Rock Band are the group interactions and the instruments – friends combined with plastic versions of the objects you’d actually be using really go a long way towards making the world around you disappear and suck you into the role of being a rockstar. Unfortunately, we now find ourselves spending more and more time standing around waiting for the Captain to finish his lengthy and spontaneous virtual drum solos.

However, we still remember when it was fun and wonder if Electronic Arts could have the same success bundling controller versions of objects used in other group-based activities?

For instance, at some point someone thought that making fast food would be fun and subsequently developed Fast Food Tycoon. The game stank like a Burger King bathroom, but with special controllers and team play could EA make that hare-brained notion true?

They could swap the current mic for a drive-thru headset, while a French fryer basket, cash register, and burger flipper would replace the guitars and drums. Also, once they run out of ideas for super combo meal downloads they could always sell a wireless mop & bucket or shake machine expansion pack. For legal reasons we think they would steer clear of including heat lamps, but that shouldn’t keep you and your friends from having whole shifts of fast food fun!

If that isn’t quite to your taste, could EA shake up the gaming world again with the first road construction crew game? New accessories and controllers could include hard hats and neon orange vests, a “slow” sign, a jackhammer, and the foreman’s clipboard, sandwich, and cup of joe. While most players’ first instinct will probably be to grab for the jackhammer, in a game all about working at road repair, the real secret is figuring out a way NOT to play.

To be honest, not many on our staff can relate to America’s fascination with NASCAR, but the craze doesn’t seem to be slowing down. That’s why we are predicting that in the near future EA Sports, in conjunction with Pennzoil, will be announcing Pit Crew for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Timing and team work will be the focus of this game which comes with 5 tires, wireless impact hammers, and coveralls complete with logos from head-to-toe.