Tag Archives: video games

November 2, 2014 · 9:50 am

“Wow! You Got a New Console”

When I was a kid, I didn’t dream about cars. My urge to escape had nothing to do with speeding on the highway in a Ferrari. Instead, I hoped to get the latest video game console. A video game console, for me, was fun without end in a far away land.

A console was a luxury item that my parents bestowed upon a good kid. They reserved the console for special events like Christmas and birthdays, making those days even better. I anticipated the gifts under the tree, the feel and peeling sound of unwrapping, the reveal and joy. Of course, I had to share the console with my older brother too, and I never got a console on launch day.

So for me as a child, a video game console seemed to be the pinnacle of luxury. For me, a console was the childhood equivalent of a new car. After all, the average adult, who isn’t weighed down by the gold in their pockets, doesn’t buy a luxury object, like a new car, on a whim. They need to plan and make a major investment. From my naïve perspective, a new video game console was a major investment too. And it was the only major investment that I wanted as a kid.

So a new console, like a new car, was always a big surprise to see. “Wow you got the N64!” That’s something I probably said when another kid told me about their new gift. And I wanted my own.

My parents, wiser and more experienced than I, may have wanted to keep me from getting everything I wanted. Maybe they didn’t want me to become spoiled. They kept me in the fridge, in a sense, to make sure I didn’t become rotten.

But now I don’t need to wait for them to buy me a new console for a special occasion. I’ve grown up and don’t consider a video game machine to be the most important thing in the world. Now I understand money, have some of my own, and I can afford to save and budget. Now a car or owning a house is a luxury, though consoles still aren’t like one cent candies.

As I’ve grown up, the wonder and excitement of owning a new console has worn off. I could save to buy a console whenever I want. Well, almost whenever I want because my super powers do not include turning base metals into gold.

But I didn’t write this post to talk about how I can buy a console now . Instead, I wanted to look back on those childhood days with fondness. I want to keep that child-like sense of wonder and love for simpler times and things. When I unwrapped that console, I had a sparkle in my eyes that transcended a desire for mere consumer things. It’s called joy. I want to keep that sparkle alive as I live my life.

8 Comments

Filed under Video Game Technology

Tagged as , , ,

October 27, 2014 · 12:14 am

Talking to Strangers about Video Games

Imagine you met someone who has never played a video game. Now imagine you had to explain a Mario game to them. In this silly post, I imagine the conversation would go a little something like this.

Me: Hey, so I played this awesome Mario game the other day. It’s brand new.

Stranger: Who’s Mario?

Me: He’s a plump Italian plumber with a bushy mustache, overalls and a red cap. The cap has an “M” on it. He also has a lanky brother named Luigi who also has a matching cap.

Stranger: Oh, so it’s some kind of plumbing simulator? How thrilling.

Me: Ha, no that’s hardly the case. See, Mario travels fictional worlds to save a princess from evil forces.

Stranger: Oh, cool, it sounds like a medieval legend. Is there a fire-breathing dragon?

Me: Well not quite. There’s an evil dragon-like creature named Bowser. He breathes fire too. Bowser also has a lot of evil henchmen who try to stop Mario.

Stranger: Are the henchmen dragons too, or magicians or knights or warlocks?

Me: Uh, among others, there are giant bullets, flying turtles, evil concrete blocks and toad-like brown creatures with permanent sneers and fangs.

Stranger: That sounds weird. Well, what’s the setting like? I mean what’s the world like?

Me: Well, sometimes you visit a magical Mushroom Kingdom full of giant mushrooms. You’ll even find people in that world wear mushrooms on their heads. Sometimes the mushrooms are painted in bright neon colours. And you can touch mushrooms to become invincible or grow bigger and stomp on every bad guy.

Stranger: All those rainbow coloured mushrooms makes the game sound very psychedelic. Far out man! Are the main characters high on drugs?

Me: Gee, ya know, I guess it does sound kind of psychedelic. I never thought about that before. But no—the main characters are not high on drugs.

Stranger: Oh, man, this conversation has given me the munchies something fierce.

Me: Well, see you around. Go check out the Mario games when you get a chance.

8 Comments

Filed under Non Gamers, Video Game Misc.

Tagged as , , ,

October 19, 2014 · 3:26 pm

The Video Game that has Everything

A bunch of suits sit in silence and stare with cloudy eyes. On the top floor of a large black building, in a glass encased room, they sit behind an infinite wooden table. Then a tall man walks in, he towers above the rest, and his suit outshines everyone at the table. The suits sit so far away that only the color of their tie distinguishes them.

“Right, what have you got for me today ladies and gentlemen?”

“We want,” said a young man who trembled as she presented his ideas, “to make a super creative adventure game about zombies. They say zombies have risen again in popularity… from the grave. Ha ha”

“Ah,” shiny suit replied, “There are tons of games about zombies out there. We need something fresh. I mean that literally. I want to put the word fresh on the box. Rotten and decomposed zombie corpses are anything but fresh.”

A short, man with a double chin stuttered and spoke, “What about Nazis zombies? Nobody likes them; they’re perfect cannon fodder for gamers.

Shiny suit rubbed his chin and stared at the ceiling. “Hmmm I think Nazis are good enemies, but others have done it. We need something different.”

“Ok, ok I got it,” said the double chin man. “Aliens abduct the Nazi zombies and equipped them with advanced weaponry. Sometimes the alien zombies’ arms fall off and the guns become useless. The falling arms will set the game apart.”

Before the shiny suit could open his mouth, a cadaverous gentleman spoke. “I’ve got it: evil demons, who were buried on ancient burial ground, possessed the alien zombies.”

“Hmmm,” shiny suit mumbled.

The cadaverous man interrupted,  “Ok, so the alien zombies have chainsaws too and use them to mince and to eat human pâté.”

“Still sounds like it’s been done before. And what about the costs?” said shiny suit.

“We’ll cut down on costs,” said the double chin, “because the enemies will be waves of clones. They’ll all look the same. And the hero will also be a copy and past job from our last game. He’ll have a shaved head, white skin and a square jaw. Oh, and he needs a bad attitude too.”

Then the cadaverous man asked, “but do you think we have enough monsters?”

Shiny suit interrupted: “Yes, that’s a great idea. If we aim for a Halloween release date, we can throw in some other monsters for the season. But no one has talked about explosions yet. Have we met our quota for this game?”

“You’re right sir,” said double chin. “As you can see from this chart, we’ve got have the obligatory guns and explosions.

“Ok,” said shiny suit, “but let’s recap what we agreed on today.”

Everyone at the other end of the table spoke up. “The game is about waves of demon infested and chainsaw-wielding nazi zombies who turn into bloodthirsty werewolves during a full moon.”

“Okay,” said shiny suit as he slammed his gavel on the table, “This matter is settled. Let’s get started.”

“Next order of business: world domination,” Double chin said.

6 Comments

Filed under Video Game Misc.

Tagged as ,

October 13, 2014 · 1:52 am

The word geek doesn’t describe me very well. I am a well-rounded guy with many interests who happens to love video games.

By geek, I mean someone who has an intense love and insider’s knowledge of an often stereotyped sub culture. That might include something like comic books or video games. Sometimes others tease geeks for their love of these hobbies.

If you fit that description, by all means call yourself a geek and act proud. I think that’s wonderful. Wear your pride on your shoulder like a badge for everyone to see, and you could start by writing a blog. WordPress.com hosts plenty of self-proclaimed geeks who love to blog about their hobbies.

I can handle it if some people lump me in with the self-proclaimed geeks. I wont cry. In fact, I have a good sense of humour. My problem has nothing to do with being teased: “geek” does not tell you everything about me.

I am a guy with a surname, occupation, place of residence, beliefs, and interests besides games. I love to write fiction and non fiction, to bike, volunteer and so on. Not even the word “gamer” can neatly encapsulate all of what makes me unique.

You might say that I am a well-rounded geek or a geek with many interests. But that puts me in a melting pot with tons of other faceless people.

I can’t stop you from calling me something, and I’m fine with that. But I’m a complex human being, and you should know “geek” doesn’t do me justice. Instead, call me Adam and then get to know me.

9 Comments

Filed under Video Game Misc.

Tagged as ,

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.

7 Comments

Filed under Video Games I Play

Tagged as , ,

September 28, 2014 · 11:30 pm

Why You Should Play Video Games

Check your silly assumptions at the door. I’ve got five reasons why you should play video games now. Your old excuses just won’t cut it anymore. Your silly stereotypes will fall apart as your read this list.

Your stubborn resolve not to play will crumble like a cookie before this mighty list. You’ll be playing video games before you finish this post. Do you dare read to my list? Continue in 3, 2, 1…

5 Reasons Why You Should Play Video Games

1. Meet some new people

Not all gamers are pasty nerds who live in windowless bunkers. Gamers have lives. We’re normal people. So come join us for a game or two and toss away those silly stereotypes.

2. Blow off some steam

We’ve all had rough days at school or work. Those rough days make you want to explode with anger sometimes. Here’s a better idea: play a video game before the steam comes out of your ears.

3. Find out what all the fuss is about.

Video game companies rake in millions of dollars. Some video games have shattered entertainment sales records.

Have you ever wondered what makes these games so appealing? There’s only one way to find out.

4. You have heroic tendencies

The other day you thought about bashing down a house’s door to save a cat from a raging inferno that threatened to consume everything in its path. But then you chickened out.

Don’t bother looking for cats to save from burning houses. Instead, you can play as a plumber who saves princesses from castles and shoots fireballs from his hands.

5. Interactive storytelling and fun

Everyone loves a good story. You write, read and watch them on the big screen.

You can also play through a story in a video game. However, let’s be honest, great storytelling in video games is still rare. Right now, that storytelling is like an infant taking her first steps in the world. Sometimes that kid will fall and other times she’ll sail along.

You know what else? Many games have boring stories, but many are still fun to play.

 

How would you persuade someone to play video games for the first time?

8 Comments

Filed under Non Gamers

Tagged as , , ,

September 21, 2014 · 11:59 pm

Hey, You! Play Nice

Gamers need to get along with each other and everyone else. I know I seem idealistic—heck, the phrase “video game idealist” led one person to my blog—but it’s necessary.

We can start by being polite to non gamers who show an interest in playing video games. Now, I don’t want to trample on people’s freedom of speech; it can be fun to joke around when you’re playing. However, we need to treat new gamers with basic decency so they can play in a positive environment.

This positive environment will do wonders for both new and non gamers. It might encourage them to feel like they belong among a gaming community. The cynical non gamers might start treating this past time with respect.

And we should encourage non gamers and new gamers to play video games. If we don’t share this pastime with them, video games might die out or only use the same ideas from the past. Worse, only a privileged few might indulge in video games. That’s tragic. It would be like not sharing your gifts with as many people as possible.

How does this generation of gamers want others to remember them? We need to be more inclusive and tolerant towards everyone interested in this hobby. That includes women who, according to the Entertainment Software Association, make up to 47% of gamers. A new generation of gamers, of all genders, races and so on will see games differently than those who played in the past. We have to respect their new opinions and play style.

You hear people talk about serious issues like the national debt and climate change and the next generation’s burdens. Those are important topics that we need resolve. But I wonder if all gamers can spare a minute to consider their own behaviour and their legacy.

7 Comments

Filed under Non Gamers

Tagged as , ,

September 14, 2014 · 10:31 pm

5 Bad Reasons not to Play Video Games

Lots of folks might like or even love video games. However, they won’t admit it. They will always make up excuses not to play video games.

1. “They’re really for kids.”

Stats prove you wrong. Did you know the average video game player is 30 years old?

Let’s also look at stories in games. The complex story of a game like, say, Mass Effect 2 might be lost on a child. Some themes in games might be too mature for kids as well.

2. “They’re only for geeks.”

Don’t worry about what other people say about your hobbies. Be authentic. People will appreciate and maybe even love you for that.

Don’t let other people label you into a corner because you have a hobby they don’t understand. You’re a complex human being with diverse interests and never just a “geek”.

3. “They’re all about the graphics now. Also, I miss old school games.”

You’re wrong. Games like Dwarf Fortress 2 and Minecraft are popular and have minimalistic “graphics.” Or try an old school text-based game and fill in the graphics with your imagination.

Of course, if you miss older games, you can always download them, play remakes or try games inspired by the classics.

4. “They’re too expensive.”

Some people argue video games are cheaper than ever. Did you know that?

5. “I don’t have the time to play them.”

I can relate to this comment. I have precious little time to play video games, so I make time for them. I make time because video games are one of the most relaxing hobbies I have. If I didn’t have hobbies that helped me relax, I would go crazy.

You may not have much time to pursue hobbies, and I get that,  but I’m sure you need time to unwind. Video games could also help you relax. So I humbly suggest you try playing them.

Stop making up excuses and give video games a try. Believe me, there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and you will find gamers are just like you!

You’ll also like my post 3 Bad Reasons not to Play Video Games.

10 Comments

Filed under Non Gamers

Tagged as ,

September 7, 2014 · 10:10 pm

I Can Walk on The Moon (and You Can Too)

moonThere I was taking giant leaps for mankind and almost tripping over moon rocks in the process. My jumps were just too impressive to ignore. Sometimes I chained multiple sets of jumps together to reach the top of a space mountain.

The other astronauts wanted to know where and how I learned to time my jumps. I started telling them about my friend, a mustachioed Italian plumber who taught me.

Wham!

I hit the lip of a cliff, tumbled down and landed in a bad place.

I almost drowned in the sea of tranquility. A landslide of rock and dust slapped me in the face, and I sank to the bottom. But I woke up and dragged myself out of the rusty rubble.

When I got up and dusted the space dirt of my lily-white space suit shoulder, I recognized life. Not just my life returning. No. It was more than that. It was a large blue bauble teeming with life not to far away.

I thought about all those stick figures back home. They sat with their eyes glued to screens. They took everything for granted.

Meanwhile, I was drilling holes on another planetary body for the good of us all. I also took samples so they could sit in a museum and collect dust. They weren’t doing that.

Then Mr. Houston interrupted my space train of thought. “Jim, you there?” he said.

“Roger, roger HQ,” I said as my drill slid through the rocks like a knife through warm butter. “Hear ya loud and clear.”

“Jim, get the last of those rocks and bring ’em back to earth. We need them to save humanity. And Jim…”

“Yeah?” I folded the ten foot drill up and threw it in my space backpack.

“We’re all rooting for you down here.” Mr. Houston’s voice became as silent as the vacuum of space. Then he said, “Get back in one piece.”

As I put away the final sample into a space doggy bag, I gulped hard. Then I heard a strange gurgling sound behind me. I turned around to see a huge eight foot hazy figure.

That’s when I was face to face with a hideous, ragged monster that made big foot look like an annoying mosquito. It’s pearly white fangs had blood dripping from their tips. It extended its arm and lunged toward me. An epic space battle was about to unfold.

And it all began when I pressed start.

People think that traveling into space is both a great mental and physical challenge. Well, they’re right. I don’t know what else to tell you. But you can do it in video games too, so go out and try it.

Bonus embarrassing/funny fact: I once thought Houston referred to a person when I was a kid. That’s why I included it in this post. Also, I thought it just sounded different and cool to give a person that name.

2 Comments

Filed under Silly Video Game Inspired Fiction

Tagged as , , ,

August 31, 2014 · 12:47 pm

Cruel Achievements Ruin Everyone’s Day

text that says insulting achievement unlockedI had so many tedious chores to do yesterday. As I glanced over my to-do list, I felt an itch. This wasn’t lice in my hair or something that begged for a scratch. It was an itch to finish the game I started the other day.

“Better play now,” I thought. “The dirty dishes can wait. Besides, if I didn’t do something now,” I reasoned, “the itch would only get worse.”

So I sat down and continued what seemed like a regular play session. I set out to find all the hidden fruit in the game and unlock an achievement for this feat. After I grabbed the last set of grapes, the achievement popped up. I felt a surge of excitement, accomplishment and adrenaline mix into a cocktail of euphoria. But then I saw something strange. It brought me down from this natural high.

You have unlocked “Grapes of Wrath – 0 Exp.”

I thought to myself, “Well, that was a waste of time.”

The summary confirmed this, “Whoop-Dee-do! You collected all the hidden fruit in the game. Why don’t you go make a fruit salad with all of it?”

I decided to keep playing and forget the thing had ever happened. And, sure enough, the game became fun again. Everything was fine.

After a while, I paused the game and made myself a quick sandwich. It had meatballs – which had marinated in marinara – and gooey cheese. I played the game with one hand and managed to eat half of the sandwich with the other. That worked for about five minutes. Then another achievement popped up.

“Ha,” I thought, “I deserve an achievement for beating half of this game.”

Boy was I ever wrong.

“You’re a disgusting pig” unlocked. The summary read “Hey lazy boy! Put down the sandwich, get off the couch and get outside!”

I shrugged it off. After all, I was relaxing after a long day and words don’t hurt my feelings.

Yet, in truth, the achievement had bothered me. I lost focus and watched in horror as zombies slaughtered my character a dozen times. On top of that, my character fell off a couple of cliffs because I couldn’t think straight.

Then another achievement appeared on the screen.

“You have unlocked Epic Fail – You’ve died 1000 times. So put down the controller, hang your head in shame, and walk away already.”

That was the last straw. I was going to beat this game and prove it wrong. It would soon find out about my skill.

I charged the through the swarm of zombies and survived. I scaled the treacherous precipices on the cliff that had tested my patience. And I still had time to make a fruit salad in the game. “Ha I proclaimed to myself. That was easy.”

Then something popped on the screen. “You have unlocked Wasted. You have wasted 10,000 hours on this game. You’re pathetic. How can you stand yourself?”

“Why you little…,” I started to say.

There was no time to argue. The game could insult me all it wanted and make stuff up. It was crazy. So I trudged toward the finish line and made it across in record time. The game was over!

As the credits rolled, I dreaded seeing another achievement. Sure enough, it appeared just as I hoped to escape the game’s insults.

“You are terrible at video games. Seriously. Just give up already. Don’t you have something better you could be doing with your time? Oh wait, no you don’t”

“That’s it! I’ve had just about enough of this,” I said. I lunged toward the TV determined to destroy the console forever.

Before I couldn’t finish my foul deed, I felt sweat drench my forehead. My clothes were covered in sweat too. I opened my bloodshot eyes wide and found myself sitting upright in bed at 2 AM.

I surveyed the room and took it all in. The apartment was quiet, except for the TV in the other room.

“Haha it was all a dream. There’s no game like that.” I laughed out loud.

My roommate furrowed his brow and steadied his gaze on me. “Are you alright? He had a puzzled look on his face with one eyebrow arched higher.” I ignored him for now, and he walked away.

“It was only a dream… only a dream. None of it really happened,” I said.

My eyes started to feel heavy as if a giant boulder weighed them down. I instinctively grabbed a half-eaten meatball sandwich on my end-table, took a bite and then let it fall on my bed. I was fast asleep again.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere far away in a deep, dark cave, a pasty man roars with laughter. His flabby jowls jiggle as if made of jello. He taps away with Flash Gordon-like speed at a keyboard. Then he stops, scans the screen, and shakes his head. “Oh man, the achievements in my new game are too cruel.”

What if achievements were cruel and picked on people? That was the prompt that inspired this silly post.

6 Comments

Filed under Silly Video Game Inspired Fiction

Tagged as , , ,