What is this... "Scrub"?

     Recently I've read a small bit of a book titled Playing to Win, in which the author, a game developer named Sirlin, writes about the concept of... well, it's kind of obvious. When "playing to win", victory is the most important goal, and any method used to win is viable and acceptable as long as it still falls within the game's set of rules. While the bits I read focused on the competitive side of gaming, a side that I understand fairly well but am not terribly familiar with, many of the concepts and points stated can be said of non-competitive games or of competitive games played non-competitively. He makes some very interesting and excellent points, and also defines what it means to be a "scrub"... and I match the description.

TL; DR...

     Have you ever had a moment of stunning clarity? That moment where something finally *clicks!* in your head? Sure you have. Everyone has an epiphany every now and then. I just had one recently: Time is a very, very precious resource.

(Source)

Darks Souls II: My Vacation to Drangleic...

     After such a wonderful vacation last year in Lordran, I knew I had to get to get tickets to Drangleic as soon as possible. So I gathered up some souls (money), grabbed some lembas and Estus (pizza and Sunny D), and journeyed to my local market to buy the tickets (drove to Gamestop and bought the game). I used a homeward bone to get home (also known as "my car"), and off to Drangleic I went...

So gloriously incandescent... all over again... (Source)

Dark Souls and the Importance of Difficulty

     Here's a question for you: When was the last time you played a game that you weren't sure you could beat? Go on, think about it. Look at the shelf of games behind you. Out of those games, were there any you didn't think you could finish? When I look at my own shelf, every single game was bought with the assured foreknowledge that I would be able to finish them... save for one: Dark Souls. Back when I first tried Dark Souls, it didn't take long for me to rage quit. I blamed the game for being unfairly difficult, for not showing me the way, and for having clunky controls. What I didn't blame was the only thing that actually deserved to be blamed: Myself.

My bad...

2013: The Year In Review

     As a year comes to a close, I like to look back over the year and reflect on what happened. In years past, I would have struggled to remember what I was doing in February, but now I can simply bring up my blog archive and see what I was doing then. It makes reflecting easy... or at least easier.

What is this... "Hardcore Gamer"?

     While doing some research for an upcoming post, I stumbled upon the urban dictionary definition of what a "Hardcore Gamer" is. At first, I was amused. I'd be the first to say that anything from Urban Dictionary shouldn't be taken seriously, but I actually found myself agreeing with the definition. At least, that is, at first...

*Stereotypical Hardcore Gamer*

Violence in Video Games: I Just... I'm Done...

     So apparently this happened:

Read the Kotaku article here...

     And there is but one thing I can say for it: *giant resounding sigh*

SONY: Advertising Done Right

     Most of the time, watching a video game commercial is groan inducing. They're often uninteresting, vulgar for no reason, or make me angry about the state of gaming. Some companies just don't know how to advertise, whether it be for a game or a console. Sony is not one of those companies. I'm not talking about specific game commercials, I'm talking about their incredible PS3 ads, like this one:



     And this one:



     Then there's this gem:


     Although that last one doesn't really matter anymore, it was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. To see a major company come out with a tasteful and official "smack" to their competition is amazing. With the first two, I felt something I hadn't really felt with other video game commercial: pride. I was proud to be a gamer. It made me feel excited. It made me want to play video games. The point is, Sony knows how to make a commercial.

Attack on My Wallet: The Steam Summer Sale

     Well, the Steam Summer Sale is in full swing... and I have no money. As of yet, I haven't bought anything even though there were a few games I really wanted. Perhaps this is a good thing, considering I dropped over $75 on games during the sale last year. However, because I've spent so much money on the Steam sales in the past, I understand the financial depression afterwards, which means I understand all these feels:

     Laugh. Out. Loud.

The Dangers of MMORPGs: Presently and in the Future

     A friend from work recently let me borrow a game called .hack//G.U. Vol. 1 ("Dot Hack G.U."), and also told me about the several anime adaptations, spin-offs, and side-stories all set in the same world from various points of view. Each takes place in "The World", a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), in which problems have arisen because of glitches and/or viruses. It's very similar to Sword Art Online, which I am a huge fan of as well. But I'll stop my explanation of the story there. This is not about the game or the anime, it's about the technology the characters utilize to play the game presented in the show... and why it's potentially dangerous when coupled with the issues we face today.

Lemme just don my 'helmet of death'...

"There's Beauty in the Bits": The Elegance of Retro Graphics

     I have recently been playing through Chrono Trigger, for the first time in my life, over the past few weeks. While playing, I've reaffirmed a belief that I've held for a long time: The games of the 16-bit era were beautiful works of art. I don't care what Roger Ebert says. Chrono Trigger was released almost twenty years ago (1995), yet it's still one of the best looking games I've played, not to mention one of the best, and only, JRPGs (Japanese RPGs) that I have been able to tolerate. I'll go into further detail on that once I beat the game and do a retro review of it, but for now I want to focus on the beauty of the 16-bit era games.

Great scott! Look at all that detail! (Source)

The Xbox One and Negativity

     So, a few days ago Microsoft released the good news that they've reversed the 24 hour DRM requirement and the no loaning/sharing/selling policies. And surprise, surprise: some people are still unhappy.

I don't know what I expected...

The Ignorance of the Non-Gamer Masses

     It's no secret that I really don't like casual gamers. However, there's something that I loathe even more: ignorant non-gamers. Not regular non-gamers, ignorant ones. Ones like those on Fox News (Update: Apparently "Fox 5" is not a part of Fox News, but that doesn't make Fox News any less ignorant):

DAWNGOURD!

Memorable Moments in Gaming: Shadow of the Colossus

     When Shadow of the Colossus came out years ago, I bought it for PS2. At the time, I wasn't the gamer I am today, and sadly, I gave up when I couldn't beat the last colossus. However, that was a long time ago, and my memory is absolutely terrible, so I only remembered very vague bits about certain colossi. So, when I bought my PS3, I picked up the HD remake, and I can't believe how much I had forgotten. One moment in particular though completely caught me by surprise...

Journey Review: The Greatest Game Ever Made...

     Recently, I became the proud owner of a PS3. I've had my fair share of Xbox 360s (on my third actually), and I have a decent gaming computer, but there are those exclusive PS3 titles that I desperately wanted to play. One of these was Journey. It's been a long time since I've done a game review, and Journey is one of those games I just can't pass up writing about. If you have a PS3 and haven't played Journey, go play it. I you don't have a PS3 and haven't played Journey,... GO PLAY IT. Seriously, PS3s are pretty cheap now...

So it begins...

What is this... Violence and Video Games?

     Violence? Video games? Surely those two aren't connected... are they? Short answer: NO. Long answer: maybe. Allow me to explain...

     To start off, we're going to derail the train before it even gets out of the station. What a great way to start, right? Before we get to the problem everyone blames, we need to look at the problems everyone tends to forget...

How Do We Define A Violent Video Game?

     With the Sandy Hook shooting on everyone's minds recently, I feel the need to bring up an old argument and drive it home again. However, before I go on a rant about violence in video games, I want to throw a related issue out there. There is no doubt that there are countless violent video games out on the market, but there's only one problem: what is a violent video game? How do we define what a violent video game is? "Well, it's a game with violence in it, of course." Yes, but where do we draw the line? Consider, for instance, The Legend of Zelda. The player assumes the identity of Link, a young boy who gallivants around the land of Hyrule slicing away at enemies with his sword in order to defeat the evil Ganondorf and save Princess Zelda. Is that not violence? "But he's trying to save the Princess!" But it's still violence, is it not? Again, I ask: where do we draw the line?

I'm going to carve your heart out of your chest and consume it... What? That's exactly what happens!

Reflections of 2012... I AM DISAPPOINT.

     So, the year has past, and as I sit here behind my computer, I find myself depressed. To be honest, 2012 wasn't all that great a year for me. Sure, there were good things, but they were constantly overshadowed by the bad. Here's what I mean...

The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race...

     So, it all started when I posted this picture on Facebook:

I absolutely love it by the way...

     A few hours later, I found myself deep in the dirt and grime of a fierce flame war...