Rebirth

Since my last interaction with this site I've put together about twenty-five rough drafts of new posts that I've failed to finish or find worthy of submission. The majority of these were philosophical in nature, and I am not confident in my capacity as a writer to push some of my points across with my present level of linguistical aptitude. While video games should be related to a reader using simple language and subjective analysis, an attempt at conveying a philosophy or ideology requires a great deal of care and careful crafting. My own personal research in the field of philosophy is limited insofar as I have spent the majority of my meditation without the aid of references outside of my own experiences. The path I have traveled throughout my life has lead me to a very unforgiving kind of objectivist point of view, and I cannot, at present, seem to rationalize a method or manor which would allow me to construct a system of beliefs on a world that does not adhere to any fundamental guiding principles or laws of causality; as such, I am also a determinist. Although I do feel that one of these perspectives follows quite logically from the other, both of these perspectives are independently unpopular and are often argued on their own merits.

Although I am not entirely satisfied with my talents as a writer I am going to make an effort to convey my personal system of beliefs through this website. If anything, this blog will allow me to channel some of my thought process into something a little more comprehensible than the rambling I communicate to my friends with regular frequency. I'll try to break my ideas down into pieces and present them one at a time. Vocabulary may be an issue here, as the articulation of abstract concepts like morality and justice is complicated. Even if I were to express myself using the diction most appropriate and effective for the conveyance of my perspective on the issues, a reader might end up spending more time scratching his way through textbooks and wikipedia pages trying to decipher my explanations than he would spend simply reading his way through them. I intend to go a little bit heavy-handed with a number of analogies in order to simplify a number of the concepts I'll cover, and it is important to understand that the function of the analogies begin and end with their author. If I state, "People are like ants... They move in large numbers, bustling here and there, supplying nutrients for a society that provides them with life," I am not arguing that people dig tunnels in the ground and lay down chemical trails leading other humans to food sources.

I am passionate about philosophy, and I'm excited to see what I'll work out over the coming weeks. Contrary to the beliefs of some of those who might consider themselves more 'intellectual' than myself I do tend to change my mind on smaller issues with relative frequency, and I've been known to make larger personal revelations from time to time when I've identified an error in my own reasoning while providing an exposition in conversation. Perhaps I'll learn something more about myself, or clear up a few of my own viewpoints as I take the effort to plant these ideas down in writing. I suppose we'll see as we go. I'll keep it as organized as I can manage.

It's Been A While

The last couple of weeks have been busy, though that 'busy' has not been a bad one. It has, however, been more up and down than I believed it would turn out. My free time has been taken up with friends and my busy time has been taken up with... well, attempts to write, or craft worlds, or simply to make sense of so many responsibilities I have assigned to myself. There is the dentist I need to make time to return to in order to set up the appointment for the day I will again have to find time and a chaperon to return once again. There is the apartment I need to clean, not only for myself, but for company; I haven't had company in ages and I feel as though I am obligated in some way to impress them, and believe I consistently fail to do so in every respect. There is the woman I continue to pursue, and a relationship which I require; two things that are mutually exclusive from one another. Lastly, there is the writing.

My writing habits have been bouncing all over the place. The article format I've been using as my regular template has grown a bit stale and I've made a few efforts to post something a bit more personal, as the kind of writing you might run into on a personal blog. While games are a personal passion of mine I'm not finding that my writing or my job are allowing me enough time to play as much as I would prefer to, and it is diminishing my drive to write about them in a daily capacity. From this point onward I may attempt to produce no more than a handful of "articles" each month based on whatever I find to be the most interesting topic for myself to invest time into on any given week. I've taken some time out of each day lately to invest back into producing the one-shot pen-and-paper Role-Playing Game I began several months ago when, for a disappointingly brief period, I was involved in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. This undertaking involves the creation of an entire universe, with its own history and characters, along with a new core gameplay mechanic based loosely on the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 rule set. I don't have any players available to share the campaign with at the moment, but my creativity will not be deterred, and I am requiring myself to complete this thing which I have started.

My love for gaming journalism took one hell of a blow yesterday when my Twitter account started seeing messages posted regarding a buyout of the 1UP network by UGO. Somewhere between 10 and 12 hours of every week for the last fourteen months have been invested into 1UP's various podcasts and the news that thirty or more of the people producing or otherwise involved in the podcast were 'released' from employment left me rather down. At least 30 of the greatest personalities of the 1up network were canned all in one sitting and are now entering into this new year and its terrible economy searching for work. After investing several months into a television show or a manga magazine a consumer can find himself feeling attached to their characters... After pouring nearly 500 hours into following each of these guys, and any number of hours poring over their articles online, I can definitely say I've grown attached to the crew. Thankfully even in such hard times there's some light in the darkness. Eat-Sleep-Game has absorbed Anthony Gallegos, Nick Suttner, and others of the crew, and is providing the bandwidth to host a new podcast with these characters called Rebel.FM. If they can get some ads up and running they might even be able to make a return on their currently-free time investment.

Anyway it's all been one longer roller coaster of good friends and bad news. As the dust settles I'm hoping it'll get a little easier for me to figure out what direction I want to take my writing, or at least afford me the focus to figure out a system where I can keep myself on track while still allowing me to branch out and try some new things. Lord knows I need more time to read, which drives me nuts enough even without constraints because of my slow reading speed. While that all sorts itself out I think I'll try to press myself back into the whole blogging thing and hammer some more work out over the next couple of days. Stay tuned for updates and some additional exposition.

War in.

Busy Times

Life has been a bit busy and I've been doing my writing elsewhere. I shall return!

Another Week Ends

I am presently waiting at my computer for a message to join a game of Left 4 Dead from a friend of mine. I'm waiting for a friend to join because I've grown tired of joining games that are filled entirely with strangers. As the frags rack up in my profile the fun is starting to notch itself down. It stings me a bit to speak poorly of a game I have championed from a developer I believe in, but I'm not here just to point out the positive aspects of the games I enjoy, and Left 4 Dead is quickly topping my list of personal disappointments in $50 titles. The longer Valve takes to fix the patches, exploits, and quirks, the less community we'll have left to host and play our games when it finally occurs.

It had to be the holiday rush. Valve has a spectacular record of releasing fully fleshed out games, some of which have been delayed for well over a year for polish. Half-Life 2 wasn't released until six years after its older brother, and was lauded by critics as a masterwork for its time. I'm worried that with all of success Valve has had in the titles succeeding that sequel they've started to lose their focus on what used to sell their games. Releasing something as unfinished as Left 4 Dead and charging a full $50 for what might amount to a complicated Half-Life 2 modification is uncharacteristic of the company. The game still stands on its own as a unique and entertaining cooperative experience, but novelty alone wont carry a game far beyond the holiday season, and I hope the team comes back strong in January to pick up the pieces.

Christmas Is Over! Tougher Times Ahead?

Merry the-Holidays-are-Almost-Over! Six days to go until we're all wrapped up and retail tanks back into the ground again. Video games have been fairly resilient up to this point, but will it last into the new year? I suspect we're going to see the economy affecting sales more next year than they have this year, especially on the lower-income side end of the spectrum. Less hours at work coupled with higher food prices means those of us riding the poverty line aren't going to have the luxury of disposable income until some time later in the spring. What am I supposed to do without a new toy every two weeks? Flash games!?

There is one demographic of gamer out there who wont find themselves aching for entertainment over the course of this crisis: The Wii player. For the third year in a row I find my mind boggled by how incredibly entertaining a friendly gathering can get when Wii Sports is involved. My aunts, grandparents, and cousins all manage to take something away from the experience, whether that is derived from the observation of a relative fumbling with the Wii-mote or in the demonstration of their bowling talents in front of the family. Our obsession with a two year old bundled title isn't doing much for Nintendo, but it keeps my faith alive in their ability to keep this new market entertained. How does one truly topple the giant we now know as Wii Sports? I don't think you can. I think you have to add games to it, upgrade it graphically, and re-release the thing on the next console if you want your new audience to come along for the next console. Oh, and keep it under $300!

I don't get much out of the Wii myself... I did own one, at one point. It lasted about six months before I pawned the thing off for rent money, and I think I may have only turned it on about ten times from the day I bought it. Nintendo isn't appealing to an action-oriented demographic with their library, and they aren't doing much better with story-telling. Tales of Sympohonia was to RPGs as Castlevania: Judgment was to Action Adventure titles; Both were strictly passable in play through. All the same, Nintendo is holding on strong in the sales among those of us who aren't necessarily looking for an incredible single player experience. As wonderful as Mario and Zelda are, there aren't so many first party Nintendo games out there that we can justify purchasing a Wii over either of its technologically superior counterparts. No, it isn't the single player titles that keep Nintendo in business, it's the party games.

One console, one extra controller, two years of continuous entertainment. The Wii has earned our investment and our hearts through its ease of accessibility, and even in times of economic distress is still selling as quickly as it can be stocked onto shelves. Maybe the lesson here is that good things should come in smaller packages, in that they make happier customers who aren't stuck at the store looking for the next best thing every two weeks. Maybe it's that the family-focused party games spread the interest in a console faster than all the hype and marketing of a Halo title. Whatever it is Nintendo has demonstrated that a small number of fun games can outlast more than two years of hype and technological advances. $250 isn't a lot to bring the family together for the holidays, and the memories are priceless.

Merry Christmas

I hope none of you out there are having a dreary evening. I've had enough sad Christmases to last me through until my untimely but inevitable demise. Appreciate what you have, and don't dwell on whatever you don't. January starts another year, and with every near year comes new hope. Use it.

And for God's sake, put down the video games and talk to somebody! Anybody! Just get out there and give some love to somebody who deserves it.

Peace and love, all.