Dorkness set on overdrive today. Got up and watched some shows then played some games. Didn’t feel up to socializing or getting anything productive done. Felt incapable of writing anything good. Sometimes one must retreat to their cave.
All posts in Video Games
A Night on the Town
I had assumed I was heading toward the usual Friday night routine of XBox and Netflix, my faithful companions. Then I got a text from Reed, inviting me out to hear his roommate play a gig at Momo’s. It is always a good idea to say yes to Reed because a good time is assured. Continue reading →
Borderlands
Today was a lazy Sunday during which I played Borderlands. I downloaded the Zombie Island expansion. Borderlands itself is a loose parody of Mad Max and the Zombie Island is a direct parody of Left 4 Dead. So if you ever need to waste post-apocalyptic hockey mask-wearing mutants who are also zombies, there’s a game for you.
Shall We Play a Game?
I have seven video game platforms. It’s a bit ridiculous, I know. Each one has games waiting for me to finish in some way.
Although I’ve enjoyed playing some of the latest hotness like Bayonetta and Borderlands, I find that they are like meals at fancy restaurants. Really enjoyable while it is happening, but I can’t see myself going back to the restaurant every night until I’ve tried everything on the menu.
I also find that I have a lower tolerance for games I did not buy. If I rented something, I have virtually no investment in the game and it is up to the creators and the power of their art to keep my attention. I never think, “Well, I spent $60 so I really ought to finish this.”
It’s actually been “old” games or retro-style games that have held my attention, especially point and click adventure games. I devoured Machinarium. I recently completed the amusing Ben There, Dan That and the sequel Time Gentlemen, Please! And thanks to Steam’s recent insane holiday sale ($5 for the entire Space Quest series?!), I will be awash in nostalgia for quite some time.
Bayonetta
If you are a British woman with sexy librarian glasses, a skin-tight bodysuit made from your own magical demon hair, and high heels that are also pistols, then I would like to invite you out to a nice dinner and perhaps a gallery opening. If you can take a break from slaughtering angels, that is.
Back to Basics
I haven’t blogged much because I got into the mindset that this blog was “for” something and whatever I might be thinking about didn’t fit the profile. But then I remembered that the blog isn’t for anything at all except what I need it to be.
I’ve been consuming tons of media lately. Movies, video games, etc. Sometimes I will think “Oh no! I should be doing something else!” and start to panic. And then I remember why I am watching all the shows and playing the video games: The moment I stop being distracted, I panic or fall into despair. Unless I am creating something or enjoying something someone else has created, I get extremely unsettled and unhappy.
Despite all this dorking around, I have managed to find the energy to finish a new project. I’m not quite ready to announce anything, but some people have already had a chance to experience it. I was cheered last night when someone offered to pay for something I had made which they had received for free. So far, everyone invited to participate has done so, which gives me a wonderful feeling I rarely experience.
Untethered
My project to slough off all the excess stuff in my life continues.
My music collection has been digital for years, save for a few collectibles and albums by friends. I’ve gotten my DVD collection down to about 17 boxes. Out of print films that you can’t get on Netflix. So I’m no longer buying movies of the common variety.
I don’t have very many video games either. When I finish a game or get bored with it, I sell it. I just signed up for GameFly, so I will never buy another video game unless it falls into the small, evergreen category where Rock Band resides.
Movies and games are both heading into an all-digital delivery system. There are many reasons for this, but a big one for the publishers is that the secondhand market will die. You can’t resell your digital copy of The Dark Knight to someone on Amazon. GameStop will eventually become a store for classic used games from the 2000s. One day it will seem ridiculous that digital information was bonded to physical platters and cartridges.
I’ve thinned down my book collection to two small book shelves. As I finish books, I’ll sell them to Half Price Books or give them away. Again, I’m only going to be purchasing hard to find items or books which make practical sense to own. I converted a majority of my Amazon book wish list over to a reading list for my brand new account at the Austin Public Library system. Holy shit, is this a slick operation! The online catalog system is robust. I can have books held and delivered to my local branch. I only stumped the system once or twice whilst searching for graphic novels. Their collection of every series I care about is comprehensive. They even had a copy of the out of print Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana, which is basically steampunk porn. All for free. Why didn’t I do this sooner? Also, if there is a Kindle version of a book available, I’ll buy that over the dead tree version. The Kindle iPhone app is actually pretty great and I’ve been enjoying 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on it.
The board game collection remains pretty large. I’ll probably thin it down over the course of a few years, getting rid of the so-so games, keeping only the ones I truly love.
I’ve also been untethering my online life. I’ve moved more and more documents up into the cloud so I can access them from anywhere. I stopped using desktop clients for mail, scheduling, spreadsheets, and twittering. It’s all web-based now. I can do all of my communication from anywhere. It feels good to shut my computer down when I’m done working instead of having to check in on it for new messages.
My iPhone is proving more and more invaluable. Today I set up a wireless storage app so I can keep my writing and important documents backed up on a password protected micro web server. It’s like having a magic extradimensional 16GB pocket I can reach into at any time.
When I can afford it, I’ll probably replace my computer with a laptop. I like the idea of being able to grab a backpack and take off, bringing my entire world with me.
I feel lighter.
Retrogasmic 1.5 – Might As Well Jump
New Retrogasmic column up at Secure Immaturity. This one’s on Dragon’s Lair and games with quick time events.
Retrogasmic 1.3 – My Primitive Ancestry
My latest article is up at Secure Immaturity. It is on early, pre-graphic games and their modern descendants.
I’ve closed comments here to encourage responses at the Secure Immaturity site.
Friend Spotlight
Allow me to direct your attention to some cool projects my friends have produced.
Ryan’s company is behind the technology used in Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice. It lets you do searches on your phone by speaking instead of having to type everything. It will eventually be available for the iPhone.
Dave was on the team that created Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox, what looks like an insanely fun game for the Wii. It was featured on Penny Arcade, which, some might say, is the highest honor one can achieve in the video game world.
In the cardboard realm, a game publisher finally came to their senses and snatched up Dan’s Monkey Lab, a ridiculously fun board game. It will premiere at Essen, but there is no word on a release date. Trust me, you’re going to want to play this.
Speaking of board games, Marc’s Coalescence is now available. It looks really sharp, is easy to learn and provides a lot of challenging fun.
And, finally, I heard that fellow Landmark graduate Jonna will be appearing in Oliver Stone’s film “W“, filming now.
Congratulations, everyone, on bringing the awesome!