Tag Archives: video games

January 26, 2014 · 7:02 pm

I Just Want to Fly in Space

spaceship video gamesAll of space is a battlefield. You fly a little tin pot ship and zap enemies as you zip past exploding wreckage. Watch out! Do a barrel roll to avoid that asteroid hurtling toward you.

Do you remember the last time you did that?

In my case it’s been too long. I remember blasting bad guys’ ships, watching them burn and turn into fine space dust in Wing Commander.

Then Privateer looked even better when my older brother played it on PC. In Privateer, I think you could upgrade parts of your ship. Imagine that! I’m accustomed to thinking you can only upgrade guns or armor. But games like Privateer let you upgrade the gun’s and armor of a ship. My brain exploded.

Then when I was old enough to fly a spaceship, I tried the Star Wars games. I couldn’t avoid them. Star Wars was everywhere. All the kids I knew had the toys. The games were special because they promised less time imagining battles with toys and more time flying as a rebel or imperial trooper. It’s not often you get to fly as the bad guy. I miss those Star Wars games.

Nowadays, I still play space games, but I don’t find myself flying often. I’m talking about role-playing games like Mass Effect. Sure, you were the captain of a cool ship, but you never pilot it during dogfights. I never got a chance to fly.

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time also had fun spaceship moments. You could upgrade your ship and get into dogfights. But it was a small part of the game. And you fought the same baddies every time.

It’s time for better spaceship video games. We need to synthesize the strengths of Tie Fighter and Privateer and build something new and better. I know two new Star Wars games are coming out, but it would be nice to play something original.

Let me flesh out my ideal game a bit more. I would love a game that has nothing to do with George Lucas’ movies. Mass Effect with dogfights is a good starting point. I want a spaceship game where I’m flying the ship and fighting the battles. Please keep in me the ship most of the time. In between missions, it’s fun to upgrade everything from thrusters to things I can’t even fathom now. Surprise me!

Give me a great spaceship game to hone my fighter skills. Then I’ll save our galaxy from aliens – one dogfight at a time.

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January 19, 2014 · 9:00 pm

An Oasis among the Sands

Video game roomSometimes life can feel so dry and boring. It can feel like you’re lost and dragging your feet through scorching hot desert dunes. Feeling parched and weak, you long for a place to recharge, relax and refresh yourself.

You, like Nathan Drake, are looking for an oasis in the desert.

My ideal space to play games is like an oasis too. It’s a place to get away from the trouble of the world for a bit. The weltschmerz, the heat, the dust and the cold nights. They’re gone. Taken in the right doses, my oasis is a fantastic tonic for all that ales you.

So let me tell you a bit more about my ideal gaming space. I’ll tell you about all the wonderful things in there, besides games, that make it so good. This is where I get to be a kid again.

Stairs?

You’ve got to be kidding me. The oasis is in the basement. There are no stairs.  To get to the room, you have to slide down a pole from any floor in the house.

Now, you could come from outside and open a door to walk straight into the oasis. But the pole, used from another floor, is the preferred means of entrance. In fact, let’s make it mandatory. Make sure you’re wearing the right kinds of pants though; otherwise, your legs may spark as you glide down to the basement.

Once you’ve slid down the pole into the room, you’ll notice the nearly blinding light. There will be tons of windows, light fixtures and a sun roof. The light and vitamin D would keep me from looking like a pasty and ghoulish zombie.

Well, alright, you’ll notice more than the light. You’ll see paint and all the other accoutrements of a well-furnished room. Just sit back and relax in the oasis.

Getting Comfy

You’ll want to plop yourself down on the comfy couch to start playing. The couch will be long enough to hold you and five other friends for game time. Ideally, the couch will feel so comfy that you will sink into it like quicksand but, you know, without the terrible death. The room is more livable than that. I promise.

It’s really designed for two to three hour play sessions. There’s no time for all the petty human problems like obsessive gaming or midnight marathons. Instead, those brief hours will be full of joy. A trampoline in the basement will cheer everyone up, even during bad sessions. Playing at a desk, by contrast, is passé.

I can see myself jumping and waggling a motion controller at the same time. Obviously the ceiling will tower above me like a skyscraper, and I’ll love every minute of playing that way.

Machines, Energy and Speed

Yes, this room will be a relaxing oasis where humans and machines get along. The literary theme of humans vs. machines does not play out in this bastion of games. Unless, of course, you’re angry about your console breaking.

Speaking of machines, the room will have two of them. One is a top of the line PC and the other is a mystery console. The PC will also come in handy when I want to play a game and then immediately write a blog post about it. Of course, I’d want to share that work with all of you right away.

So I’d need a light speed fast internet connection to do all these things and to download games. I don’t play many multiplayer games, but I love to download the latest releases. I mean, those quirky downloadable games on Steam can sometime outclass their retail brethren. The good news is downloading means less cabinet space.

All that jumping, downloading and playing means I’ll need time to refuel. I eschew all the stereotypical gamer food in favour of chewing my cooking. There’s no place for refueling on Mountain Dew and Doritos in this space. But I would add a huge movie theatre style popcorn maker. That way, playing with friends will feel as fun as going to the movies.

And there’s a bathroom in there somewhere too.

I never want to leave!

***

What’s your ideal gaming room? Make it as silly as possible.

 

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January 12, 2014 · 3:40 pm

3 Bad Reasons not to Play Video Games

Reasons to play video gamesSome people snub their noses at video games. They should instead play them with a warm heart and open mind. They might find a new hobby. Or, at least, they’d understand this hobby and why others love it.

But foolish views about games are still out there. These views are like mental obstacles that block people from seeing and having great fun. If only people could smash through these obstacles, they’d get hours of joy from games.

So I thought of three reasons why people might avoid games.

1. “Games are too nerdy and only weird people play them.”

Well, of course, gaming could seem weird. Let’s say you seal yourself off from the world in a mine, and you’re wearing a tin foil hat on your head while you play. That’s weird. But I’m sure you wouldn’t do that. Would you?

But playing games and treating them like other hobbies is fine. Balance between video games and life is essential, and many people understand that. Don’t generalize about games or the people who play them.

2. “Shooting and violence turn me off. Also, I’m just not very good at shooting video games.”

Bloodbath is not synonymous with video game. Try a relaxing game like Endless Ocean. Go for a swim with a dolphin. Watch another person’s life unfold in The Sims. Check out the beautiful music and art in Journey. The many genre choices are amazing.

You don’t even have to be good at games to enjoy them. There are many “point and click” adventure games where you mostly tap a mouse. In these games, you can walk around and click to experience a story, hide from zombies and more. These aren’t “twitch” shooters where you drown in your own blood the second you start an online match.

And if you don’t know how to click a mouse, you’ll learn a new skill. Maybe you could go even further and learn keyboard skills from Mario Teaches Typing, if they even make that anymore. Ok, forget the Mario Teaches Typing. I’m sure remaining copies of that game are in a pit by now.

But be bold and try a video game.

3. “I’m too busy.”

Oh, you’re really busy? Then you probably need significant time to relax. I’m sure you’ve watched the same TV show and movie countless times. Why not try something different? Play a game like the Walking Dead that’s feels like a choose your own adventure book/ comic book/ TV show.

I know you will like video games. You already love the scenes and music from the movies. Guess what! Video games can have movie-like scenes and music. On top of that, you get to interact with the story and make choices.

Get out and experience games so you can understand them. And once you understand, I’m sure you’ll find they have good reason to exist. Even better, they’re a lot of fun to play.

***

What other bad reasons do people use to avoid playing video games? I might want to do another post on this topic. Thanks.

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January 5, 2014 · 7:14 pm

My Week in Games

my week in games I spend most of this post comparing a week I had to video games I’ve played. Trust me, it’s not as boring as it sounds. I left out all the boring bits and replaced them with bacon. Savour every word.

1. Plan

Fun and success don’t always happen at random. You have to have plan goals, make outlines and revise your expectations. Then things might work out.

I plan many important things during my week. I’ve got to stay on budget, buy food, and cook delicious dinners. Then I have to work and plan to take over the world. Oh, uh that last one was a joke.

You also have to plan for success in Civilization. You need a strategy to beat the game or take over the civilized world. There’s some luck involved too.

However, there are some differences between my life and Civilization. Even though I save my money, I likely won’t beat all other countries to an economic victory.

2. Learn

I love to read. Maybe I’ll turn on some music while I read. Maybe I’ll have a nice snifter of something to feel special.

The Sims’ world is not always this peaceful when a character reads. Other people could run around your house while they are on fire. Or a burglar could rob if you don’t have the latest alarm installed.

But The Sims has one awesome feature: you can speed read and learn fast. Imagine if could sit down and hit fast forward while you read. You’d flip through pages faster than an open book in a wind tunnel. This ability to learn fast could advance my career. Then a mysterious car could pick me up for work, just like The Sims. Oh wait! That last part doesn’t sound very safe or fun.

3. Cook

I love to cook. It is peaceful, creative and always leaves my stomach happy. When the food turns out right, it is definitely a weekly highlight for me. I wouldn’t say I’m a gourmet. I like to cook and hope for the best – with my fingers crossed.

Cooking Mama is a game that probably captures my love of good food done right. I say probably because I’ve never played it. Also, unlike “mama,” I don’t have a pink beret type thing in my hair.

4. Drenched

This past summer, when I wrote this post, some bad storms drenched me. I sloshed through soaked streets as my shoes made squishy sounds. The storms all started with a Heavy Rain. In one bad storm, some major roads in my city looked like an Endless Ocean.

5. Exercise

I find stress melts away when I ride my bike, run, and play frisbee. But I never played any games based on these activities. I have played a few sports games but don’t make time for them these days.

Maybe International Soccer Superstar 64, my sole sports game for N64, best describes my exercise regimen. I used to play it with a friend in elementary school. Whenever he scored against me, he would sometimes jump off the couch and run around the room and scream, “Baggio, Baggio, Baggioooo!” Strange. He’d do this even when he scored without Baggio. And, yes, he was one of the “popular” kids. On second thought, this was more a silly anecdote than a game that describes my weekly exercise regimen.

As a teenager, I used to mountain bike with friends. Maybe Downhill Domination, a mountain biking game I played on PS2, describes my exercise regimen. Of course it does. I used to land 30 foot drops on my bike with ease, pick fights and collect glowing orbs while cycling. Ok, looks like I can’t describe exercise well with games.

6. Garden

I love to grow vegetables and herbs. When I wrote this post, I was already eating the fruits of my garden. If I couldn’t grow vegetables outside, I could always plant digital greens in Animal Crossing. But I prefer the real thing to digital counterparts any day.

7. Misc.

Boring administrative tasks and other things also fill my week. I think The Sims captures these chores quite well and managed to make them fun. I can’t say chores are fun in my life.

***

How do the video games you play compare with your life? Do the two mirror each other at all?

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December 29, 2013 · 4:39 pm

Clean up Your Apartment, Please!

A sea of silver game disc backsides;
Quartz mine on a shiny summer day.

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December 29, 2013 · 4:38 pm

Sorry, My Blog Lost Power

dangling power linesDear readers,

Last Sunday my apartment and my blog lost power. Tree branches collapsed under their own weight because of their thick coats of ice. Power lines dangled like deadly snakes in some areas.

I was volunteering, wrapping gifts and dealing with the power outage. There was no way I could post about – let alone play – video games. It wasn’t going to work.

I love writing. I love reading others’ work. I set out to publish a post every week, and I’ve done that for over a year now. So it hurt a little when I couldn’t do that last week.

But I got over the hurt fast. In my city, there were thousands of people during Christmas – and there are still some – without power. They’re the people who need help.

Also, I’ll publish two short blog posts today to make up for last Sunday. I spoil you. You know that, right?

***

What crazy things have happened to you while publishing a post? Have you ever lost power when you were blogging? How did you cope?

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December 15, 2013 · 9:27 pm

Level Up Everything Until You Drop II

Video game hippieOur fun deprived world needs video games. Great games are fun, they might inspire us to ponder life’s big questions, and the game industry employs so many people. But what if video games could make our lives a little easier too?

We could borrow the concept of leveling up – a video game term – and use it to make life easier. When you level something up in a game, it’s usually a joy to do it. You might then customize or upgrade that thing to improve it. You could level up your character, a weapon or a vehicle.

Now, imagine if you could level up things to help you in life. Here’s a fun list of things that I wrote:

1. Level Up Chores

Garbage

Taking out the trash is a time-consuming and stinky affair. I can think of many other things that I’d rather do.

If I could level up doing the garbage, I would get a robot. R.O.B., that delightful Nintendo creature, could do the job. He would organize my garbage, recycling and leaves, and wheel it out to the front lawn on collections days.

No need to get my hands covered in rotten vegetables when the bags break. No flies buzzing around me. No fishy smell from the garbage bin.

Everything would smell rosy. That is, of course, unless my robot turned on me and dumped the garbage all over me. I’d better hire another robot to keep an eye on R.O.B., just in case.

Washing dishes

You might wash dishes with your hands. Or you might use a dishwasher that runs on foamy soap and leaves your dishes sparkling clean. Either way, you’re spending a lot of time and money to do this chore.

I think Pokémon could help us here. If I were to level up doing the dishes, I would use a Squirtle, or something similar, to get the job done. I think a Blastoise might just destroy any fine china you have. Then I could do all the dishes without spending a dime on water for this chore.

What about if you’re catering for a party? How would you clean up all of your dishes? I would level up a Squirtle until it evolved into a Blastoise to spray all the dishes at once. Step back and put on your safety goggles first.

Cutting grass

Level up and then use sonic supersonic speed to cut the grass. The neighbours would feel dizzy as they watch a blue blur cut everything in under a minute. But then they’d have a smile on their face and the neighbourhood would seem like a happier place all because of my lawn.

2. Level Up Transportation

Deflection shield

Imagine if you could level up a shield to keep people or objects from bumping into you. Pedestrians would feel a lot safer crossing the street. Cars wouldn’t crash into each other. Cyclists could ride safely on the street without fear. Children could run into the street to pick up a stray soccer ball.

Ok, I think you get the point.

Cars without damage

Alright, drivers wreck their cars all the time. What if we could borrow the idea of damage-free cars from racing games? I’m talking about old school games here. Also, race car drivers no longer need to fret about totaling their cars when they crash into a will.

Hover Boots

You need to move from point A to point B as fast as possible. How are you going to do that? Running on your feet is so pedestrian, and hover boots are so much better. They’ll get you where need to go to save the day. Start saving up those experience points today so you can level up your plain old boots.

3. Level Up Time

No more time-wasting. That means more time to love others and more time for this blog and my short stories.

***

Imagine a better world with all these things leveled up. I wonder if you can…

Just call me the video game hippie.

 

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December 8, 2013 · 6:30 pm

Help! I’m a Video Game Snail

video game snailVideo game snails are people who play games in a slow fashion.

Take a look at how I played Mass Effect 2. I started it in February and didn’t finish until a couple of months later. Yes, it’s a huge game, but I played through it at a snail’s pace.

I take my time playing games because life is busy. Family, friends, cooking, writing, reading, volunteering, biking, running, and all the other hobbies in my life take up time.

Other snails might have their own reasons for taking so much time to finish a game. Their interest in video games might wax and wane. They could be playing games for the first time. They might feel the need to collect everything and see the number “100%” pop up. Or maybe a pesky bird swooped down from the sky and tried to eat them. Who knows for sure?

But one thing is certain about snails: it takes them a while to cross the finish line in a game.

That’s One Fast Hedgehog!

Hedgehogs – like Sonic – are the opposite of snails. Hedgehogs race through the latest game so they can play the next one. They might finish video games, but they don’t stick around long after they’ve done everything.

Why are they so fast? I suspect hedgehogs want to play all the good games that come out during the year. Perhaps they crave variety to have fun.

***

So are you a snail or a hedgehog?

 

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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 24, 2013 · 10:39 pm

Interview: Generic Space Marine

Video game space marineWelcome back to my series of posts where I get up close and personal with video game characters. Inspired by Wreck-It-Ralph, I travel into video game worlds to interview their denizens.

For today’s interview, I traveled deep into the dark recesses of space until I stumbled upon a strange sight. It was half human and half machine. On top of its head was a massive helmet that almost weighed more than me. It wore a shade of generic green space marine armor. I was in awe.

On with the show.

***

Me: So you spend a lot of time in space. You say you just flew back from space to earth for this interview. Are your arms tired?

SM: That some kind of joke, punk? Let me tell you the story of a giggling joker ripped apart by alien lasers. He won’t laugh ever again.

Me: What were you doing in space?

SM: I took the fight to the alien home world. Stole some of their guns too and that really made their green blood boil.

Me: Have you been on any other missions lately?

SM: I did some covert ops, government cover ups, redacted files, blah, blah, blah. I’d tell you more but then I’d have to blast you.

(Cracks knuckles)

Me: Uh ok. Does it hurt when you are repeatedly shot during missions?

SM: Nah, my life is not the slightest bit realistic. I completed all my missions despite absorbing thousands of bullets. My eyes saw everything painted red, and my heart pounded so loud that passersby could hear it. But I mostly just walked it off or took cover and regained perfect health. Even when the damage became overwhelming, I’d get back up, dust off my shoulders and try again.

Me: Wow! Do you think medical science will ever let all of us just walk off illness? Could you hold the secret to curing all disease?

SM: How should I know bub. I’m just a space marine.

Me: How do you handle all this blood and killing? Do you ever get sick of it?

SM: Nah I love it! (Punches his fists together).

Wait (sheds a tear)… I – sometimes I long to bake cookies, skip through grassy meadows on warm spring days and pick up pretty purple flowers.

But it can be so lonely sometimes being a war machine. People don’t know that I find it hard to express my feelings, display emotions or show affection. Why, the other day, I picked up a flower but accidentally crushed it with my powerful grip.

I long to share my feelings, to take this mask off… I think it all goes back to the fact that my parents didn’t love me enough as a child. My dad was a cold space marine in the 8 bit days and my mom…

Ah what am I talking about! Delete that from the interview. I’ve got a persona to keep up. (Chomps freshly lit Cuban cigar and blows smoke into my face.)

Me: (cough, cough) Right… So you’ve appeared in a lot of games. Do you ever play them?

SM: Definitely not! And you shouldn’t either. They’re a waste of time and they kill brain cells. I’ve taken enough brain damage in the line of duty. Thank you very much. Oh, and don’t forget to buy my new game on Christmas.

Me: Ok, I think we’ve covered you’re games enough. Tell me what you like to do for fun?

SM: Take my tank for a stroll through the streets and shoot anyone who looks like a bad guy.

Me: That sounds like vigilante justice. What if they’re not a bad guy?

SM: Listen, pal, I’m not a detective here, alright? I don’t investigate everyone before I shoot. That wouldn’t make for a thrilling game. I also don’t come down to where you work and tell you what to do.

Me: How about loving and eating? How do you do that when your helmet is always on? Doesn’t it get dirty?

SM: You don’t want to know, pal.

Me: What’s it like being a space marine? I mean doesn’t it get lonely?

SM: Oh it gets so lonely sometimes that I want to cry. (Audible sniffles)

Me: Is that – Is that a tear running down your visor?

SM: No, no it’s nothing. Next question!

Me: Do you think about anything besides death?

SM: I’m programmed and hard-wired to focus on those.

Me: But do you have any free will or are just a digital killing machine?

SM: Whoa, whoa, whoa… don’t get all egghead on me.

Me: You’re not that bright. Are you?

SM: That’s it! I’ve had just about all I can handle of you. Come here so I can beat the living brains out of you.

(I run off. The interview ends)

So the space marine in your video game may seem invincible. But they might also have unresolved childhood issues, anger management and difficulty expressing emotion. Guess it’s not so great to be a space marine after all.

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