The More Things Change.....

Do you ever think that people back in the day got made fun of, or ridiculed for reading books? I'm sure they must have. After all, books were just made up stories. They were probably widely considered to be frivolous wastes of time. Yet, today, we seem to hold a person who frequently reads up high because of their literacy. We look back on old books that were published about a hundred years ago and hail them as classics. Do you think that we will get to the same point with video games?

It may seem difficult to imagine with countless calls to duty and constant reiterations of the seemingly same battlefield, but there are some gems that are still being released. There are note worthy games. Some of them are made by major studios, others by smaller independent teams. Just as not every single book that was ever written was remembered; not every game will be either. When we look back on those "classics" we sort of get a highlight reel of books and other art that was created during that age. Jules Verne was not the only author of the 1800s, and Mozart was not the only composer of the late 1700s. There was probably some schlock that was produced during both of their times. People remember their great works because they liked them. They praised the art that was made by great artists and they did everything they could to preserve that masterpiece.

What are we doing today with video games to preserve great titles? What are we doing as gamers? What are you doing as non-gamers? How are we talking about games? How are we remembering games? Are HD remakes enough to keep the classics in tact and in the public eye? Is a number score in a review of a game enough to signify its greatness? How are we preserving games, and who is doing something so that truly great titles be remembered?

We, as gamers, need to appreciate games both old and new for their merits and accomplishments within the medium. We need to change the conversation about games so that non-gamers can appreciate and understand what makes a game great. Gamers need to stop being so exclusionary with who can play what kind of game. Games are for everyone.

Non-gamers, what is your view on video games? How do you view gamers? How do you talk about video games? How do you talk to gamers? It starts with conversation. Communication. Open yourselves up to video games. Be more open minded about video games. Do not damn video games because of one that contains violence. Do not generalize that all games are the same because they have a first person perspective. Research games, explore games, find out more about games.

Maybe we can reach a point in history where we can look upon gamers with respect. It definitely won't be anytime soon, or it might not happen at all, though, nothing is impossible. If we can preserve great games of the past, truly great games that show what games are capable of, then we can be able to move forward on a foundation of strength and innovation.

Game Over, Retry?

Life does not have a reset button. There is no way to go back and do over the thing that we failed at, and try again with the exact same conditions as before. Sure, we all wish that we did, but such is not the case. Yet, at the same time, there are some moments when we have lost and we were able to move forward with what we have.

This is very difficult to see after suffering a loss. Back in October when I had lost my friend, I was devastated. I still am. I had lost someone who was dear to me. However, I could not go back and change any of that. I was unable to change the way things happened before. Video games are unrealistic because they allow us to do just that. Games allow us to go back to before we failed, and saw that "Game Over" screen and give it another go. When I had lost my friend, I still had my support group, I still had my job, I still had my church, I still had my family, I still had a lot to fall back on. Looking back, it was like going back to a save point in a game.

When we lose in a video game, we are often transported back to a checkpoint, where we had everything that we had before. Consider though, that we in fact go back to that place with something more. The player had lost, and he or she knows exactly why they lost. The next time that they reach that point, they will be on the look out and aware of that which had killed them before. The player had grown through that experience of loss. Failure is never a failure, if there is something to be learned from it.

I fail a lot in life, but I do my best to learn from those failures. I do what I can to improve upon my circumstances. It always feels like I'm struggling to get back to where I was, but that is never going to happen. Instead, I move forward, past where I was, and I become stronger. I learned something, and I grew as a result. Games may have that unrealistic experience of being able to go back in time, with everything that we had and have everything reset, but we as players continue to move forward in time and grow with knowledge and experience. This is how we learn from games. This is how we grow. I encourage you to get out there and take risks, fail, and learn from them. You will move forward, and you will level up.

Video Game Ladies

Well, another year, another dateless Valentines Day. That's okay, though. I'm kind of used to being single. It still kind of sucks, but it's where I'm at, might as well be okay with it. Besides, it means that I can spend time doing the things that I like, and not have to spend money and take time to plan something extraordinary (because I totally would for someone on Valentines Day). So, I'll just play some video games. Since I don't have a lady in real life, I'll talk about the ladies in video games.

It's no secret that ladies get the short end of the stick here in video game land. They are often objectified, used as plot devices, and almost always eye-candy. This. Is. Not. Okay. That being said, there are some women in video games who are well written and well rounded. Even though none of these characters are real, and I wouldn't even come close to having a chance with them, I still have a thing for them.

Here's a list of my favorite video game ladies.

Lllllllllllllllaaadddies........


1. Samus Aran


Now, I do love a woman in power armor, that is for sure. What I like about Samus is her ability to get shit done. Excuse the language. Seriously, though! This girl takes on missions all by herself, and completes them with stern determination. Samus is cool, calm, and efficient. Her arm cannon is always at the ready and always pointed at the enemy. Samus has taken on badguys ten times her size and kept on going. Some of the horrors that she has fought off would give a normal person nightmares and PTSD. Samus takes on these missions and keeps coming back for more. Perhaps it's the only environment where she feels comfortable, however. Similar to soldiers who have PTSD and cannot function outside of service. Samus has a tragic backstory of witnessing everyone in her colony be murdered by the ruthless Space Pirates who were led by Ridley, a sentient dragon. Samus tracked down Ridley and exacted her revenge. I like Samus because she also kind of intimidates me. She has accomplished more in her life than most others have in their entire career of service. Samus is a badass and you can always rely on her to take care of whatever crazy task that needs doing. She is my favorite video game crush.

2. Bayonetta


This is a major change of pace, I know. Going from a girl who is completely covered, head to toe, in armor to a girl who wears skin tight clothes made of her hair. Yep. Her hair. Bayonetta is a witch, who fights angels and the Lumen Sages. That's all I can really tell you about her plot, because that's about all I can gather from playing the entire game. Her story just doesn't make all that much sense. However! I fell in love with Bayonetta because of her style and personality. To be honest, Bayonetta is your typical sexy video game character, but she owns it. Everything that Bayonetta does is based on her sensuality. Her moveset, her personality, her dialogue, it's all meant for her to be sexy. It works. It's kind of hilarious, but it works. Everything about Bayonetta oozes style, and it's to such an extreme level that it leaves a lasting impact. Most sexy video game characters will be scantily clad and nobody bats an eyelash, here Bayonetta knows all too well the situation. Again, Bayonetta is the type of woman who intimidates me because of how well she can handle herself, plus, shawty got legs for dayz.

3. Female Commander Shepard


I prefer Commander Shepard as a female. Her voice acting is better, her situation as a woman in a position of power is more engaging, her being a leader is more endearing and has a somewhat maternal feel to it. There is so much more to Commander Shepard than so many other female characters, or any character for that matter, in gaming. Commander Shepard is the playable character, and as it is a Bioware game, the player has the ability to choose and craft the character to their choices, but Femshep has a personality of her own. Whether Renegade or Paragon, Femshep is distinct in her approach. I like the idea of a woman leading and looking after her crew. This is the most present in Mass Effect 2, when the structure of the game has players completing "loyalty missions" to earn the trust of their crew members. Femshep has to prove that she is trustworthy and does whatever it takes to prove this. Trough her helping out her crew members, they grow and come out of those experiences different. Shepard had helped them, and gained their loyalty. Shepard also has to make sure that the ship and the other members of the crew have everything that they need, as it may be the last mission that anyone ever serves on because they might not make it back alive. Femshep takes care of those close to her, and always gets the job done (there seems to be a theme here....).

So, it seems that my taste in video game ladies are the ones who can always get the job done, and who intimidate me because they are so powerful. Hey, you never know when I might get captured and need some rescuing. I sure wouldn't mind being saved by any of these women. I would certainly go to any length to rescue them, as well. While all of these ladies are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my league, a guy can dream, right?

Hang On, Watch This

As I wrote last time, I don't have much time. Gaming is more of a privilege than anything else. It's difficult to balance all of the things in my life and still be able to sit down and play video games. I still like video games, and I wish that I could play them a lot more than I do now. I know that I'll be getting some free time in the future to play video games and such, but that's a story for a different time. However, right now, working six days a week with ten hour shifts is kind of grueling. In order to get my fill of video games, or at least something video game related, I watch Let's Plays.

Let's Plays are a kind of video on Youtube that have taken the internet by storm. People record themselves playing video games, and post it up on the Internet. This is a stupid concept that should not be as popular as it is. Instead of actively playing a game for myself, I, along with many others, watch people play video games.

When I was younger, and still not all that great at video games, I would watch my older brother play video games. He didn't much care for it, but I would watch him anyway. There was no commentary, and there were rarely moments in the game that got all that exciting, but I still enjoyed watching him play. There was something to that. A certain kind of feeling of fellowship with my brother, and bonding over video games. This is what Let's Plays remind me of, in a very minor way.

My favorite Let's Play channel is Game Grumps. I really enjoy their conversations that they have over the games that they play, and Danny always has a good story to tell it seems. I've learned a lot from listening to them talk about life and experiences. They also play a lot of games that I've never tried, or even heard of before. It's a good way to find out about new games that came out, or old ones that have faded into obscurity. Their show is always entertaining to me, and it makes me smile even on bad days.

Video games are more fun to play, to be sure, but they can also be fun to watch. It may not be the same as watching the game with the person in the same room, but it's still enjoyable.

Short Game

As I wrote last time, I'm tired. My job keeps me occupied, which most certainly pays the bills, as well as it allows me to be able to put some extra off to the side. Still though, this leaves me with little time to do the thing that I love: gaming. Reason being, is that on nights that I work, I only have about four and a half hours when I wake up to when I have to leave for work. That isn't all that much time to invest into a video game.

With limited time on my hands, I've just been spending my days playing games that I don't really need to invest in. Mainly, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on the Xbox 360. It's a quick fix of action, speed, and really cool cars. Each race lasts about five to six minutes, and is usually a full experience. Whether you're racing against the AI or the clock, each race comes down to that final stretch. I enjoy the experience because it's quick, and there's usually another race to be had immediately afterward. There is little to no investment required in each race. Pick my car, and hit the road. Though, I miss taking the time and pouring into a grandiose roll-playing game.

I have a huge backlog of games, that I will one day get around to playing. However, each one of these games does require a certain mood to play. My backlog spans the board of genres, from platformers, to shooters, to Japanese RPGs, to classics that every gamer should play, but I just haven't gotten around to playing them simply because I just don't feel like it. I really don't have the time to do something like start up a new game. I don't feel like the experience would go over well, or rather that it would go entirely well, and I would be severely disheartened when my experience is cut short because I had to go to work. I love marathoning games when  I can, but those opportunities are few and far between these days. Yet, when the mood does strike me, I can stay dedicated to that game and finish it out rather handily.

Recently I finished Saints Row IV. I had a blast playing it. The format of the game was such that I could take on a mission at a time, and be satisfied with what I had accomplished. I played this game nearly every night, working to complete as much of it as I could. I stuck by this game to do my best to finish it. I was invested in the story, characters, and gameplay. Each element of the game drove me to the end. Part of this completion was the game for being so much fun to play, and the other was my self control and planning out how much of the game I could play before taking off for work.

An even longer while back I finished Bayonetta. The game took me about ten hours to complete, but I stuck by it even though I died time and time again, and was driven to near controller smashing madness. Yet, I did no such thing. I saw it through, and I feel proud of myself for doing so, and for beating a tough game. It was a thrilling experience to be able to finish a game, as it always is, but it felt even more so with the dedication that I had shown toward Bayonetta.

A few weeks ago, PBS Game Show had posted a video proposing that games are too long. I had a discussion with a friend about it, as we were both a bit skeptical of the hosts analysis and execution of the idea. I, myself, enjoy games no matter the length. Games can be whatever length that the developer, or player desires them to be. If a game is a complete, and satisfying experience, then I think that is fine. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a recent title that claims to have over eighty hours of gameplay from the main story missions alone. That is indeed quite a bit, though if the game doesn't jerk you around, and it gives you a good experience, who is to declare the value of that? What if you take the time and complete the game and all of it's side activities? Did you enjoy yourself? What if there were times when it felt like a grind to get through? Does that take away from the experience?

I understand a developers desire to put in as much content as possible for their players, $60 is a lot for a game. Gamers want the most bang for their buck, as do all consumers. Though, it always bothers me when folks start to complain about the length of the game, even though the experience was really good. I remember having this discussion with the same friend over The Last of Us. I really enjoyed the game, and recommended it highly, though he wasn't willing to pay full price for the game. It made sense. $60 for a thirteen to fourteen hour experience. That's $4.29 an hour. But can you measure the emotional endeavors of a game like that monetarily? I don't think so, but then again, video games are what I like to spend my money on. I am single. I do not have a wife or family. I have a job, of course, but the only bills that I need to take care of fall well within my budget. I can willingly and freely spend my money on things such as video games. It's different for everybody. I think that games are a worthwhile thing, and that they should be enjoyed. The great thing about games is that players still have that agency to take as much or as little time as they want with the game. Even though some of that time might be taken up by being stuck at a really hard part. Either way, video games are art, and they should be treated as such. While they can take up a lot of our time, we should have the ability to discern what is worth our time and money and what isn't. This applies to everything, not just video games. Time is constantly fleeting, so you should spend it doing things that you enjoy: be it video games or no.

Rest At The Inn?

It has been quite some time since I have updated my this blog. I apologize. I do my best to upload a new post on a weekly basis, but I am tired. My job is one that keeps me working long hours as well as six days a week. The only day that I get off is Saturday, which I try to do my best and work on writing something for you all, but I need a day of rest. For as much as I love writing, it does take some work to be able to put something out there for people to read. I do the same thing in video games too.

The thing about video games, especially these days, is that the characters that we control are all but invincible. They can go anywhere, and do anything within the game world, and barely get a chance to sit down, but that's okay because they just down a health potion and get right back at it. I think that I try to do this, but with coffee instead. In games, I just stock up on potions and various other quick fixes so that I can continue on. I feel somewhat defeated if I have to retreat back to a town to rest up my character. Yet, there is something extremely comforting about finding an inn at a town. After traveling through the wilds of any RPG you're bound to take a few hits on your way to the next town. When find out there's a way to heal your characters to full HP and restore all of their mana for a cheap price, you put down that money so fast the inn keeper doesn't have time to finish his line.

There is no defeat in this. It is okay to rest and relax. That is part of the journey. We are not invincible, and neither are our video game counterparts. I'd rather see the screen fade to black knowing that my characters are getting some rest, rather than see the words "Game Over" show up.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am by no means done here. There are many more articles and writings to come, but I need you to know that I am working hard both on this blog, at my job, and a few other ventures that I am very excited to work on. So, take some time to remember to rest. It might seem like nothing is getting done, but it will do a world of good for you.

The Secrets of Journey Revealed

A while back, I wrote about Journey and how it reflected the events that were happening in my life. I still find myself going back to that game, as my life goes in, seemingly, every which way. When I last wrote about Journey, I said that I was at the summit, and that I was about to enter into a world of chaos. It seems as though that time in my life has come and gone.

In the game Journey, right before the end, you fall. You are beaten, and thrown back and forth by the strong winds at the top of the mountain and you meet what is most certainly your end. Then, you are picked up. The gods of the game come to meet you, and beckon that you get back up. When you do get up. You fly like you have never flown before. You fly so high, that you breach the clouds. Up there, the air is clear and crisp, and the music is that of victory and relief. You have made it. As you fly, your character dances in the air with its companions that were there to help you along the way to the top of that mountain. When you reach the end of the game, you slowly walk towards the light at the top of the mountain and you are enveloped by it. The camera cuts to a wide angle shot of the peak, as a shimmering comet shoots out of the top of it. The credits roll as the comet travels through all of the areas that you traversed during the game. It's going backwards, towards the start of the game.

This is also how the game opens. With a shimmering comet zooming over the landscape, until the camera focuses on your character. That shimmering comet was you. Each new game of Journey is another trial that you must face. Life is a series of ups and downs. There are highs and lows throughout each journey that we go through in life.

I think that this is represented rather well in the second section of the game. In this area, you have to make a bridge. Players do so by finding large ribbons scattered throughout the area, and singing your song to them. The ribbons disperse and reassemble into sections of the bridge that is built. What's interesting about this is where the ribbons are kept. Throughout the section, there are these long grey.... things; containers that the ribbons are coming out of. Having gone through the game already, you would recognize these containers as the corpses of the dragons in the game.

The last time that I wrote about Journey, I said that these dragons are the manifestations of our fears, doubts, and all of the negativity that holds us back. Here they are now: defeated. In life, when we are working to overcome something, we have our doubts and fears, but we always make it through. We are able to overcome these obstacles, and we then can use them to make it past whatever life throws at us next. This is represented in Journey by these fallen dragons. Before, these dragons scared us, and even attacked us. Now they are a way in which we can build bridges that help us ascend and reach new goals.

Journey is one of the most beautifully crafted games because of moments like this. Its minimalist style lends itself to interpretation and discussions such as these. We need more games like this, where the game can speak for itself, and not rely on a thick script. A game where players can both enjoy the experience and find hidden meaning in it. I love Journey because of how it pulls this kind of stuff off. It is a game that is still helping me get through some of struggles in my life. I am sure that I will be going back to it again in the future when another obstacle obstructs my journey.