Category Archives: Video Games I Play

October 30, 2016 · 7:07 pm

A Video Game Laughed at Me

It started like a wonderful day. I rolled a large brown ball, perhaps it was a walnut, up the hill. Then I rolled what looked like a giant green cabbage up the hill. However, my good time went downhill after that.

Like Sisyphus, I was rolling a boulder, or beehive this time, up a hill, and it kept tumbling down after me. Sometimes the beehive rolled backwards, and while turning around to get it, I would inadvertently hit it, pushing it faster down the hill. Worse yet, sometimes the beehive fell off the cliff and cannon-balled into the water. Before I had the privilege of pushing the beehive up hill again, I had to move it out of the water and nudge it along the beach.

Then the video game laughed at me. Day changed to night as I failed to push the beehive to the top. Night changed to day. The game was showing and telling me: “Look, you are so slow that nights and days are flying by while you fail again and again.” Or at least that’s how the I interpreted the day changes. I could have an overactive imagination.

I felt better when I reached the top of the hill.  I had prevailed!  I was happy to never see that beehive again, and the laughing stopped.

What made feel better after all the pain and torture? The beehive excited a bear who jumped up and down, sang a song and danced. Yes you read that right; it was a dancing bear that made my day.

By the way, I was playing Okami. I recommend playing it to, at least, take in the beautiful world. I’ve warned you about the beehive though.

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September 19, 2016 · 11:04 pm

If I was a Video Game Character Living in a Game World

Imagine that I was a video game character living in a video game world. You’d turn on your TV, flip the switch on your console and see me every time you played a game. What should I do with this great privilege and power?

I suppose I’d find cheat codes and give myself many abilities and supplies. First, I’d give myself unlimited money. I don’t know what I do with it all; maybe I could buy several thousand cars and race around town, like something out of Grand Theft Auto. Then I’d find the code to turn myself invisible. That would be a welcome method to take breaks without the player even knowing I was gone. After all, I would get exhausted after the player’s marathon gaming sessions. Finally, I’d rejigger the code to create stunt doubles for myself. That way, I  could do whatever I wanted and never get hurt while the player played. What could go wrong if I had these codes at my finger tips and could do whatever I wanted?

On second thought, this kind of unlimited power could easily corrupt me; instead I would use these cheat codes to help others. I’d go invisible and wade through a sea of zombies, in a post apocalyptic game, just to help an elderly neighbour take out her trash. I’d also become invincible to avoid germs. I could then, without getting sick, babysit all the other video game protagonists’ kids,  so they could have peace of mind while they save the universe and/or world. Finally, I would rejigger the code to help fix other characters who were frozen — in a malfunctioning game, that is. Or maybe I meant shoveling the driveways of snowed in characters on freezing days. No matter the problem, I would find some way to help.

What would you do if you were a video game character living in a video game world?

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September 5, 2016 · 7:46 pm

I Started This Game and I’m Finishing It!

I started this video game, and I’m finishing it.

I’m finishing come hell or high water.

I’m finishing in the face of rain, sleet or snow.

I’m finishing despite the weather service’s warning about an impending avalanche, tornado, tsunami and hurricane.

Meanwhile, an uncontrollable fire roars down the street, consuming all in its path. It doesn’t matter.

What’s worse, our neighbourhood just experienced a nuclear meltdown outside and the streets are empty.

And I’m thinking of other games I’d like to start playing now.

But I started this game, and I’m going to finish it before I start playing anything else.

Do you ever have the urge to start playing a second game before you’ve finished the first? How do you respond to this urge?

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August 15, 2016 · 8:49 pm

I’m Wondering about Video Games

Too often life tries to extinguish my sense of wonder. By wonder, I mean a desire — which never ceases — to know more about a puzzling topic, a desire that sometimes isn’t sated with mere information. Life throws dishes, pots, and dirty laundry at me in an attempt to keep me off this path of wonder. I suppose one can cultivate a sense of wonder while cleaning pots and pans, but this rarely happens to me. Many of my interests, pursuits and activities, though, do allow me to keep my sense of wonder burning brightly even on the darkest of nights.

I love to read, write, talk and reflect about topics such as life and death, beautiful things in nature, history, people, ideas, music, culture, food, entertainment and others. I have so many questions about these topics and will never stop asking because there’s so much I don’t know. Sometimes I just stop and stare, slack-jawed and all, at a beautiful vista in a foreign country. I wonder how that vista was created, how something so beautiful could exist and why it exists. I also wonder about how to live my life, how to treat and help others, and things that are greater than myself. There remains one topic, though, that I didn’t mention — video games.

I wonder, when I play video games, how such a beautiful, imaginary world could exist and why I bother to explore it. I stare in awe at the beautiful digital mountains and valleys, puddles and oceans, seemingly borderless terrain and the limitless skies of fictional planets. Why do we spend time creating digital worlds that mirror our own instead of going out and seeing them first hand? What’s the point of it all — I mean a life spent playing video games?

Who or what put this digital world together and what inspired it? I mean, maybe I could know a bit about the developers of the game by learning about their personalities and experiences, and how that shaped their product. But would I truly get to know the developers and their thoughts about their games, or why their game has heavy trolls who can crush anything but also hurtle thousands of feet in the air after a tiny stick taps their shoulder? Maybe I’m asking too much.

I wonder if these developers took the time to craft a good story. I wonder if the story and characters can tell me something about my life and how I should live it? Or is this a game without a story? Does this game have goals, and what is a goal?

Why do I play video games anyway: is it because I chose to do so or because some external force has pushed me toward them? Why should I continue playing games when I have a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes? I wonder. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that video games keep me wondering.

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July 4, 2016 · 11:48 pm

Chew and Savour: Slow Video Games

Why would you not play video games for as long as possible? It seems reasonable to spend most of your time doing something you love. In fact, we could think of many reasons why one might play video games for hours on end. However, I prefer to play for a short period, having bursts of fun.

I play enjoy playing games more when I play for a short period, say an hour or so. I’m less likely to make mistakes if I’m not exhausted from clicking the same button over and over. I’m more alert when I haven’t been sitting and staring at a screen without a break. All of this means I do not get easily frustrated and give up. Instead, I can come back the next day to play for an hour and, sometimes, have just as much fun as the previous day.

Since I only play for an hour or so, I have so much time for the rest of my life. I have time to love and help and others, time to think about more than just myself. I have time to question things, to read and write, laugh and love. Oh how I love free time! I always try to set aside time for games and to ensure they do not consume everything else I do.

I will often reward myself after completing something important by playing a great game. Here, I chew into a game and savour it in all its richness. Too many bites over a long period leaves me stuffed and exhausted. The right amount of times leaves me full and happy. Then I go on to do everything else and look forward to the next time I can play again.

This chew-and-savour approach is tough — for both anteaters, who have no teeth, and humans. You know it can be tough to stop playing a game, to stop doing any activity you love. There will be moments of weakness because a good game can be hard to put down after an hour. Yet, this approach remains something to aim for as a gaming ideal.

Playing video games in shorts bursts could also save you money. I think this short play time certainly saves me cash. I don’t buy lots of new games, and there’s no need for me to buy because chewing and savouring encourages me to slowly finish each game.

Overall, I am happy to chew and savour my video games, to play them slowly and to play them for an hour or so. After all, there is much to do, I am more than just a gamer and you are too!

Do you play video games for short bursts of time or do you find yourself playing for hours on end?

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October 4, 2014 · 9:48 pm

Why I Play Downloadable Games

I carry around a heavy stack of paper everywhere I go. Only this is not a burden that weighs me down. The paper’s in my head.

See, I have a never-ending list of games to play these days. As soon as I play through one, I can think of another one to add. The list is always evolving and always fresh.

I noticed a recent change in this list: I stuffed it with downloadable games. And I can’t wait to sink my teeth in and devour these digital goodies.

Here’s five reasons why I only play downloadable games these days.

1. PSN, XBLA and Steam all have amazing games

I’ve played a bunch of great, exclusive games on PSN and XBLA. That includes Journey and Shadow Complex. Of course, the indie and PC exclusive games on Steam are great too. Steam, in case you don’t know, is an online store for PC games, and Valve Corporation owns and operates it.

2. Big sales on indie and PC games

Steam makes it easy to find plenty of great games. They make it even easier to buy them during their enticing sales.

3. Variety is the spice of digital life

You can download a variety of fun and creative games online. I really like platformers, or games that have platformer elements, and I don’t see this genre often on store shelves. However, I have found and enjoyed them on Steam.

4. Excel at one thing …

I like the idea of shorter games that do one thing really well. This describes a lot of downloadable games I’ve played.

5. I love short games

I like downloadable games that aren’t too long: that way I can play through a ton of them. I might then have time to play through a longer Mass Effect type game.

I’ll still play games like Mass Effect, but I’ll probably play less of them. I only really want to play one or two of these huge games a year, if at all. Smaller games will devour most of my time.

The shorter downloadable games will be like the staples of my digital diet. The bigger games will be like dessert: I’ll consume them now and then.

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August 3, 2014 · 9:29 am

Ice Cold Play, Warm Summer’s Day

It’s been a long and busy week.

Well, life is often stressful, and I play games to relax. I find it cathartic to explore strange worlds and fly spaceships in games after a hard day. Lying on the couch or chair, I forget I’m even there as I become one with the game. The stress melts away like ice cubes placed outside on a hot summer day.

Games allow me to escape from the boredom of everyday life. Good games are fun, they draw me in, and they take me to foreign worlds on budget prices. They let me complete goals that would otherwise go unfulfilled, like driving a tank, meeting aliens or socializing with zombies. Rest assured, I am fully trained in the techniques of zombie hospitality should they appear.

I’m just having too much fun and I’m too mellow to care about silly problems.

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May 18, 2014 · 2:32 pm

How Video Games Help Me

Video games have taught me many essential life skills. Playing games helps me with time management, perseverance and relaxing.

I can’t do everything in one day. I have limits. Playing games has helped me improve my will power and time management. I can play games for an hour or so per session and then move on to the other things in my life.

I’ve learned some lessons from these play sessions. They taught me to keep trying even when I make mistakes. In the worst case scenario, when your plan fails, you know you can restart and try again. Sometimes, after you keep trying, the plan comes together and works. You can erase all the penciled in plans to do something better.

However, strategies can fail and failure is a part of life. Games teach you to solve problems you meet, to find other paths to carry out a task. In life, too, you can travel down another path when you find yourself lost.

This new path in your life may seem scary sometimes. So how can anyone unwind under all this pressure?

Video games are one important hobby that help me relax. They help me briefly forget the problems of the world, which I do my best to try to solve. Playing video games and relaxing makes me a joyful person, and then I can go into the world and be at my best.

If you removed video games from my life, I might be hollow husk of my normal self. You wouldn’t recognize me. They have taught me so much.

How have video games helped you in life, if at all?

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December 1, 2013 · 10:09 pm

It Belongs in a Library

Steam salesI kissed my family goodbye, packed my bags with supplies and headed out in search of treasure.

I dug for hours in the scorching hot sun until sweat covered me. Then I found something shiny in the dirt. It was a tempting treasure, but no one goes on an adventure just to settle for the first bronze trinket they find. So I dug a little deeper.

At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. The resplendent surface of a gold nugget blinded me. Was this a desert mirage?

No, this was the real deal.

It was…

Alan Wake with a dramatic discount on Steam!

My First Steam Sale

It happened a while ago, but I’ll never forget it.

I saw Alan Wake priced at $29.99. Then the sale started and all hell broke loose when the game they slashed the game’s price to $14.99. I was so green back then, but I knew Steam could lower the cost even more.

And Steam did it.

It was like a genie granting my three wishes: cheap, cheaper, cheapest. The numbers changed faster than the cherry images on a slot machine. I blinked. The next thing I knew Alan Wake was in my library and probably reading one of his books.

So my journey came to an end, and I returned to my family. The golden nugget lay safely in my library for my eyes only. But, hey, what do we have here on Steam? I should check this out. It can’t hurt for me to buy more…

Time for me to close Steam.

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November 10, 2013 · 5:16 pm

Video Games Let You Fly

Journey video gameYou can’t fly. Ok, maybe you can board a plane, or sail away in a hot air balloon, or blast off with a jet pack. But you need technology; you can’t fly by yourself.

Well, there is one way you can fly by yourself: become a video game character.  Come on, you know deep down the kid in you wants to do it, so don’t dismiss this post.

I would be the burgundy robe wearing figure from Journey. The figure has a mysterious visage, piercing white eyes and a glittering scarf. I’m not sure how I would ever get anything done in that world though. I mean, the beauty of the game world would always overwhelm me.

A Day in the Life of a Journey Character

I got up early while the sun was shining. Though, as far as I can tell, the sun is always shining in this world. Then I left my house, a set of ancient ruins scattered among the dunes, and floated off in search of a journey.

I soaked up tons of resplendent sunshine that day and got a little hot. After all, I live in sweltering desert heat and wear a thick robe everyday. But I like to think the robe protects me from UV rays. Also, the robe’s perfect for trekking through snowy mountain peaks. It’s a one of a kind must-own fashion item.

The sun and the heavy, flowing robe always make my mouth feel as dry as the Sahara. So, my first goal every day is to get some water. Without the water, I would dry up like a raisin and disintegrate into a dust indistinguishable from the desert sand.

When my thirst became unbearable, I stopped to meditate on the precariousness of my life in the world of Journey. It was relaxing. The sun melted away all my stress like it was an ice-cube. I sat down by myself and hours flew by.

But I wasn’t alone all the time. I met tons of cool strangers who dropped in and out at random. These random meetings made it hard to make good friend, but it worked for speed dating.

Overall, I had a ton of fun meeting all these strangers. We sometimes raced each other down desert dunes, like we were on a sand toboggan. We also floated past each other and spoke a strange language that brought us closer together.

We journeyed for a long time until we reached a massive mountain. Our hearts and our relationship nearly froze up there. We were joyful after we reached the top of the mountain, got a second chance at life, and passed through a mysterious crevasse flooded with light.

Gee, I forgot all about that water.

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