I hate Achievements, and trophies for that matter. They are pointless, and pop up at the most inconvenient times to break the player from the grasp of the tone that the game is trying to set. They don't prove anything, and they are a waste of time in video games. That being said, we as players should recognize the things that we have done in video games. Not only in video games, but in the things that we do every day.
I've struggled a long time with giving myself credit for things that I do. I don't know why I trivialize my accomplishments. Yet, I do my best to keep updating this blog at least once a week. I make videos regularly on my YouTube channel. I make a podcast now. I stream daily on Twitch. There is a lot that I do, that I can feel proud of. I think the reason for my trivialization of my accomplishments is, that if I can do it, anybody else can. Yet, there's no one else around who does what I do the way that I do it. It may not be considered "conventional", but I still manage to complete the task. I work hard at the things that I love. I always try to do my best. Sometimes, that may not be good enough for somebody else, but I don't do it for them. I do it for me.
I feel really good when I'm able to upload a video, or make a blog post. I enjoy playing video games on my stream, even if nobody is watching. I love what I do. I might not have 10,000 subscribers or followers, or what have you, I still enjoy doing what I do. I still strive to make sure that it is something that I am proud of, and that I am happy with how it turned out. Admittedly it is a little bit discouraging when my articles don't get any comments, or my videos don't get any views. Yet, I still press on, because I do it out of love and passion for the things that I do.
I know that there are a lot of people out there who just don't have a direction, and that is difficult. I know that every single person has a passion. I know that everyone out there has a unique voice and talent for one thing in particular. I know that everyone is a nerd for something, and that is what drives them.
When everyone out there seems to be doing the same thing that I'm doing, and getting noticed for it, it certainly is discouraging. I want to write about video games, I want to talk about video games, I want to do everything that I can to promote my passion and love for video games, but it seems that everyone else on the internet is doing the same thing. But! The one thing that they can't take away from me is my voice, my passion, and my love. I intensely care about what I do. I adore video games, and it means a lot to me to speak with my words about them. I am unique, and so are you.
We are all individuals. We are all players. Whether we play the tank, the healer, the rogue, the mage, the outsider, the leader, the support, the hero, or the villain. We are unique. We all have a voice, and we all have a passion. Find it, and go for it.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Getting to Know You
Video games are weird. We can start playing them for a good long while, and then suddenly put them down. Or is that just something that I do? Either way, we gamers tend to build up a backlog of games that never seems to end. When we finally get around to playing the game, we may have forgotten why we bought it in the first place.
There's a game that I've been trying to play lately called Antichamber. It's a really strange game, with simplistic visuals, and extremely complex rules and mechanics. When I first started it up, I was really into it, and I managed to make it a decent way through it. I decided to call it a night and put it down, and from that moment, I haven't been able to pick it back up again, that is until a few days ago. This weekend I decided to started up Antichamber again just to see if I could make any progress, and well, I couldn't. I had forgotten where I was, and how the game worked. Normally when I play a game, I really can get a sense for how the game plays, and how it thinks. That is to say, that I get to know the game by spending a lot of time with it. By playing a game for a long time, players learn the rules and mechanics of the game, and understand how it works. This is how good games are supposed to be, by letting players experiment and learn. Their knowledge of the game becomes intimate as they learn the ins and outs of the game. From its story, to its characters, to its lore, to how the game works. Isn't this similar to the relationships in our lives?
As I've written before about our party members, we keep in touch with a very tight circle of friends. Yet, there are people in our lives that we lose touch with. They were good friends, it's just that sometimes life gets in the way and we fall apart, or perhaps, something went wrong in the relationship and it falls apart. Whatever the reason, there is still a chance for you to run into them again, or the thought of them still lingers in your mind. What happens when you get in touch with them again? It's rather odd isn't it? When someone whom you haven't spoken with contacts you, or you contact them? You may have forgotten all about them, or vice versa. What if the conversation continues? You forget how conversations with them used to be. In a sense, you've forgotten how to play. You've lost your touch. You've changed. You may not even be in the mood to play that game anymore. Time passes, and people change. It is the way of things. Games don't, though, which is what makes this a rather shaky metaphor, but still. There are many times when we look back on the people in our lives and wonder what happened, where they've gone, or even why we hung around them in the first place. Though, this is the road of life. It is paved with experiences and people that we meet along the way. Perhaps it might be in our best interest to leave them alone, or it might do you some good to dust off those old games and rejuvenate an old flame that you once had with it. Who knows what could happen? It might be a good experience, or it might not be. Who am I to say?
I think it is important to be able to look back and remember the good times and the bad. There are things in our past that are remembered fondly, while others are not so good. There are times that may seem better than they actually are because of nostalgia, or we might look back and wonder what on earth we were thinking when we did them. There are different phases that we all go through, and because of them we grow. We learn what is good, and what is bad. What is right, and what is wrong. What works for us, and what doesn't. Sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zones to learn this, and sometimes will change us forever, or it might not.
There's a game that I've been trying to play lately called Antichamber. It's a really strange game, with simplistic visuals, and extremely complex rules and mechanics. When I first started it up, I was really into it, and I managed to make it a decent way through it. I decided to call it a night and put it down, and from that moment, I haven't been able to pick it back up again, that is until a few days ago. This weekend I decided to started up Antichamber again just to see if I could make any progress, and well, I couldn't. I had forgotten where I was, and how the game worked. Normally when I play a game, I really can get a sense for how the game plays, and how it thinks. That is to say, that I get to know the game by spending a lot of time with it. By playing a game for a long time, players learn the rules and mechanics of the game, and understand how it works. This is how good games are supposed to be, by letting players experiment and learn. Their knowledge of the game becomes intimate as they learn the ins and outs of the game. From its story, to its characters, to its lore, to how the game works. Isn't this similar to the relationships in our lives?
As I've written before about our party members, we keep in touch with a very tight circle of friends. Yet, there are people in our lives that we lose touch with. They were good friends, it's just that sometimes life gets in the way and we fall apart, or perhaps, something went wrong in the relationship and it falls apart. Whatever the reason, there is still a chance for you to run into them again, or the thought of them still lingers in your mind. What happens when you get in touch with them again? It's rather odd isn't it? When someone whom you haven't spoken with contacts you, or you contact them? You may have forgotten all about them, or vice versa. What if the conversation continues? You forget how conversations with them used to be. In a sense, you've forgotten how to play. You've lost your touch. You've changed. You may not even be in the mood to play that game anymore. Time passes, and people change. It is the way of things. Games don't, though, which is what makes this a rather shaky metaphor, but still. There are many times when we look back on the people in our lives and wonder what happened, where they've gone, or even why we hung around them in the first place. Though, this is the road of life. It is paved with experiences and people that we meet along the way. Perhaps it might be in our best interest to leave them alone, or it might do you some good to dust off those old games and rejuvenate an old flame that you once had with it. Who knows what could happen? It might be a good experience, or it might not be. Who am I to say?
I think it is important to be able to look back and remember the good times and the bad. There are things in our past that are remembered fondly, while others are not so good. There are times that may seem better than they actually are because of nostalgia, or we might look back and wonder what on earth we were thinking when we did them. There are different phases that we all go through, and because of them we grow. We learn what is good, and what is bad. What is right, and what is wrong. What works for us, and what doesn't. Sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zones to learn this, and sometimes will change us forever, or it might not.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
The Floor (E3)
One question that I've frequently been getting since I've been back home is: "what games did you get to play?" The truth is, that wasn't the reason that I wanted to go to E3. Instead, I was intent on meeting people and making contacts. Seeing the press conferences first hand, as opposed to seeing them online. And I feel pretty confident that I was able to do those things. I may not have met everyone that I was hoping to, but I still made quite a lot of contacts.
E3 is traditionally held in the Los Angeles Convention Center, and I remember seeing the building for the first time on Sunday during the Nintendo World Championships. There was a giant banner advertising the up and coming Call of Duty: Black Ops III game. Needless to say, I wasn't too interested in that, but I was still in awe of its proximity. I was so close, but so far away. I knew that I would be there soon.
In fact, I was there the next day to get my attendee badge. Walking into the building was like walking into the hall of a great king, or that's what it felt like. There were banners and displays of future games that everyone would get to see when they finally made it to the floor. I remember being in awe of the grand scale of the building that I was in. I was in total disbelief that I was actually there at E3. This was something that I have dreamed of for years and years. I couldn't help but have a smile across my face the entire time. This was on Monday, though, so the event didn't start until the next day. I only got my badge on Monday to help get me into press conferences and because I didn't do it on Sunday.
When Tuesday rolled around, and I showed up early, thinking that the doors opened up at 10, when they actually ended up opening at 12. Well, that gave me some time to socialize and talk with some fellow gamers. I met a couple of folks and we were talking about our E3 experience and where we're from. While we were talking about this and that, I had overheard that the Nintendo booth had opened up early. I dismissed myself from the line, and headed over to the other hall.
I was pleased to see that the other hall was not quite as crowded. I ended up meeting a gentleman who was the graphic editor at Riot games. He does all the cool graphics for the LCS news show. It was a really fascinating conversation, and to make things a bit more cool, this was also the entrance near where the media area was. I got to see a couple members of the press, such as Adam Sessler, and Kevin Pereira.
Finally it came to enter into the event. When the doors officially opened, everyone organized into lines and started into the hall. When I crossed the threshold, I could feel the gigantic smile return to my face. I HAD MADE IT! I was practically skipping through the hall. I merrily made my way to the Nintendo Booth to check out what they had there. I darted towards a demo of Yoshi's Wooly World. There stood a woman with a Nintendo shirt and a smile. She greeted me and started telling me more about the game. I played the demo of the game, and was thoroughly impressed. I adored the design and the gameplay was fun. After I was finished with the game, I hit the floor.
To be honest, I don't quite remember each detail of the games that I got a chance to play, or the things that I got to see. I was at E3, and I was completely consumed by the fact that I had finally made it. I had wanted this moment for so long. I was astounded at the amount of people that were there. I met a lot of people, and even got to meet some of my idols like Ted Price Todd Howard. I also got to meet a few Youtubers, such as Smooth McGroove, Alex from the Completionist, and even the Game Grumps. It was a fantastic event where I was able to experience much, and meet many people. I was very happy to have gone there. I learned much, and I feel like I grew a little bit as a person.
I went on many adventures, snuck into places where I probably shouldn't have, I talked to strangers and maybe have made some friends. This was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I was able to be a part of. I will definitely make it a point to go again for next year.
E3 is traditionally held in the Los Angeles Convention Center, and I remember seeing the building for the first time on Sunday during the Nintendo World Championships. There was a giant banner advertising the up and coming Call of Duty: Black Ops III game. Needless to say, I wasn't too interested in that, but I was still in awe of its proximity. I was so close, but so far away. I knew that I would be there soon.
In fact, I was there the next day to get my attendee badge. Walking into the building was like walking into the hall of a great king, or that's what it felt like. There were banners and displays of future games that everyone would get to see when they finally made it to the floor. I remember being in awe of the grand scale of the building that I was in. I was in total disbelief that I was actually there at E3. This was something that I have dreamed of for years and years. I couldn't help but have a smile across my face the entire time. This was on Monday, though, so the event didn't start until the next day. I only got my badge on Monday to help get me into press conferences and because I didn't do it on Sunday.
When Tuesday rolled around, and I showed up early, thinking that the doors opened up at 10, when they actually ended up opening at 12. Well, that gave me some time to socialize and talk with some fellow gamers. I met a couple of folks and we were talking about our E3 experience and where we're from. While we were talking about this and that, I had overheard that the Nintendo booth had opened up early. I dismissed myself from the line, and headed over to the other hall.
I was pleased to see that the other hall was not quite as crowded. I ended up meeting a gentleman who was the graphic editor at Riot games. He does all the cool graphics for the LCS news show. It was a really fascinating conversation, and to make things a bit more cool, this was also the entrance near where the media area was. I got to see a couple members of the press, such as Adam Sessler, and Kevin Pereira.
Finally it came to enter into the event. When the doors officially opened, everyone organized into lines and started into the hall. When I crossed the threshold, I could feel the gigantic smile return to my face. I HAD MADE IT! I was practically skipping through the hall. I merrily made my way to the Nintendo Booth to check out what they had there. I darted towards a demo of Yoshi's Wooly World. There stood a woman with a Nintendo shirt and a smile. She greeted me and started telling me more about the game. I played the demo of the game, and was thoroughly impressed. I adored the design and the gameplay was fun. After I was finished with the game, I hit the floor.
To be honest, I don't quite remember each detail of the games that I got a chance to play, or the things that I got to see. I was at E3, and I was completely consumed by the fact that I had finally made it. I had wanted this moment for so long. I was astounded at the amount of people that were there. I met a lot of people, and even got to meet some of my idols like Ted Price Todd Howard. I also got to meet a few Youtubers, such as Smooth McGroove, Alex from the Completionist, and even the Game Grumps. It was a fantastic event where I was able to experience much, and meet many people. I was very happy to have gone there. I learned much, and I feel like I grew a little bit as a person.
I went on many adventures, snuck into places where I probably shouldn't have, I talked to strangers and maybe have made some friends. This was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I was able to be a part of. I will definitely make it a point to go again for next year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)