Gaming: The Anti-Social Network

We all know the lie

Gaming is social, you spend hours playing with other, real, people. You can sit on your couch or in your comfy chair and meet all the different and interesting folks in the world. It’s an amazing a new experience, it deserves all the praise in the world! I mean, how can you spend hours talking and interacting with real people and not consider it a social  activity. It’s not though, but that may not be a bad thing.

I’m sure I’ve discussed this issue on here before. I can’t ever stop thinking about that one article I read on The Escapist, however long ago that was, about video game myths, and why they’re not true, and why that isn’t a bad thing. It talks briefly about games not being a social activity, and that fact doesn’t make them bad. It just means that they are a solitary activity, that can be enjoyed. It’s not always that way, co-op exists to help fight the solitary gamer stereotype, but most games are played alone.

Get it, Alone in the Dark?

Are War Games Really All That Bad?

“War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse” – Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce

War games are being attacked

They are labeled bad, and wrong. And for good reason. They teach players to love war. To look forward to the next chance to rub your superior firepower in your opponents face. They bask in the glow of ever growing digital death tolls, and merrily extend rewards to those that have the most killing potential. They are bad, bad things. This is the main view of these games, anyway. I don’t necessarily see them in that light. Mainly because, like you learned in my last post, my brother and I bonded through these types of games. We do compete with each other, and I feel a sense of pride when I beat him, but I never really see it as pride over killing. It’s more of a mastery over a set of rules, and restrictions set forward by the game itself. I don’t celebrate death, rather, I take joy in sharing a part of my life with my brother

It's all up to you

MW3, I don’t know if I’m excited or not. . .

Normally I count down the days to the newest CoD

This time, however, I just can’t bring myself to get really excited. Ever since I picked up my Xbox and the original Modern Warfare, Call of Duty has had its hooks in me. I used to play by myself, and then with a friend I made in college. I was completely in love with it, even though I was absolutely awful at it. I kept playing though, because it was fun. It was almost perfect. The game flowed well, everything felt balanced, and the people, although not great, weren’t the worst I had ever played with. It was all pretty great. Then I found out my brother played, and that got me playing even more often. We would spend hours a night playing Call of Duty, and bonding. He doesn’t live close to me, so Call of Duty really brought us together. We continued playing Call of Duty, and we still do, mostly Modern Warfare 2 these days, but it’s just not the same as it was. Things changed, mostly for the worse, but sometimes for the better. But now Modern Warfare 3 is due out soon, and I should be excited about it, like I normally am, but I’m just not. And I need to know why.

Review: Forza 4

Allow me to start with an apology.

I have been neglecting my blog, and you my faithful followers. I have had a stressful week and I forgot to treat this like a job. Which I someday want it to be. I noticed my views spiking on days I normally posted and it made me happy that you check in just to see if I’ve put anything up. So, I’m sorry I didn’t get anything up, and thanks for supporting this crappy little website/blog/thing. I appreciate the support.

Now, on to what’s important!

Mmmm. . .

Surprise Review: Skylanders!

Sorry about the change in plans

Sorry dedicated readers, I know I said I’d be reviewing Forza 4 right now, but something came up. I was shopping at Best Buy, looking for a printer for school when I came across an interesting title on display. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure it was called, and it was an interesting concept. It’s basically a way for Activision to sell video games and toys, and it’s marketed at the perfect age for those things to intersect, children. You know, those things that don’t have their own money and rely on others to support them and buy them this stuff. Needless to say, I decided it would be a good game to play with my girlfriend, and that’s how I ended up buying the game.

I am just going to say this now, if I didn’t have a girlfriend, this would not be nearly as enjoyable as it was, and I probably wouldn’t be recommending it at all.

Life in the Box: How Gaming has Changed me.

There are certain personality types associated with gamers

The brash, rather dickish was they deal with people is well known. Well, that and the extreme anti-social behavior that is expected of people who play MMO’s or games of that depth. I fall into the first category, sadly. I am quite unaware of how I got there too. It must have been a slow steady change, nothing that could have happened over night, and surely nothing that those around me could have possibly noticed outright. I feel like they should have said something if they did, because I am kind of a dick, and I should have been told.

I get told that now, because I spend my time around a lot of people who aren’t like me. They don’t spend their time in front of a TV or monitor grinding away to be better than those other anonymous masses playing the game with them. They are just normal people, who do relatively normal things, I guess. Going to clubs, starting bands, working on cars. You know, that normal stuff that is supposed to make you a functional member of society. Not some asshole who sits behind a mic, and enjoys the fact that no one knows where I actually live.

The Great Tragedy of Competition

I rather dislike MLG Gamers

Or people who say they are MLG, or anyone who likes MLG, or anyone who knows someone who likes MLG. I mean, I think the competitive aspect of gaming is fun, and I love trying to constantly get better than everyone I face online, but the fact that the MLG exists brings out the worst in people. I know, as soon as I see someone with a MLG gamer picture that they will, more often than not, be a stark raving asshole.

I only link to this because I'm not a douche

Review: Dark Souls

This game hates everything you stand for

This will happen, a lot

And you will love every single second of it.

Midnight: Dark Souls

I love midnight releases

There’s just something about the atmosphere. That sweet smell of unwashed nerds wafting in the air, the tight knit groups of people who are waiting together for their game, the general feeling of tension in the air as rage slowly rises as midnight creeps ever closer. These are the moments I live for. These small events that show what it’s really like to be a part of gamer culture. It may not sound too great after my description, but you have to experience it before you can judge. And no, this isn’t just like waiting for a movie, or a book. This is a completely different beast, something strange, so strange it almost seems counter productive, and yet, so fulfilling.

Yeah, that's right.

Me vs. Internet Forums

I’m really digging the vs. format for my writing lately, and will focus on that for a while probably. Remember, any comments and suggestion will be accepted, well, the constructive ones anyway.

“Getting in an argument on the internet is like pissing into an ocean of piss” – My Brother.

Online Forums are Great

If, and only if, you can manage to wade through all the garbage that is said on them. They are a way for users from different backgrounds who have had different experiences to come together and share what they know about a certain subject. Being a gamer, I often spend time lurking on gaming forums, reading what other users have to say, and if I’m feeling brave occasionally posting something myself. I say occasionally, because most of the time the posts end up like this.

Look below to see what that deleted one says. . .

So, as you can see from above, I tried to post something on GameFAQs, a popular website for game tip, tricks, cheats, and discussons, and it was not received well. I don’t want to come off as some kind of baby here, but let’s be honest, those people were a little rude. As I’m sure you have noticed, there is a comment that as been removed. That comment is the reason I’m writing this now. It was a quote of my original post, followed by the words, “jump off a cliff and stay there.” That was awesome. It sure feels great to be insulted by a complete stranger.

The thing is, this is a site that exists for game questions, and game discussion. I tried to start a discussion, and hoped to hear others opinions, and instead apparently angered the internet, and it struck back with its rage. It’s hard to say if I should be offended by this behavior, or if I’m just trying to wallow in self-pity or something like that. I had to debate whether or not to write this post for a bit due to that conundrum. I also know I already covered most of what I’m about to say here in my post on online gaming, but forums, to me, feel like a completely different beast, with the same problems.