• 20Dec 09

  Getting a Life, Initiative and Managing Work or Managing People

  Well it's that time again, it's been a while and I thought I should write another blog! This one will be a little different as it won't focus on a single topic; this one will cover three! Have no fear though, I will title each new topic so you will always know where my head is and they won't run into each other. As always hope you enjoy what's been on my mind

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  Getting A Life
  Ahhhhh this saying, how many times have we heard it? Honestly I have to say it is one of the most annoying comments on this website, mainly because you hear it so often. Previously I have said that if anyone says it, it's ironic; simply because we are on a gaming website. I recently realised that that's a stupid ignorant thing to say and essentially perceives that we all have no lives if we are on this website, incorrect.

  First, let's explore what a 'Life' actually is. I believe life is about a balance. This does not mean everything is in equal proportion, no no, it just means that you don't spend every waking minute on games. You chill with friends, go out to dinner, go out for a beer, work; and the list goes on and on. The balance is about trying to do one or all of these things within a given timeframe. And if games is the predominant percentage of your time, then so be it, as long as you still make time for other things (doesn't matter how long for or when) but as long as you do it, I think you still have a life. Thus I believe that there aren't that many people 'Without a Life'

  The myth that seems to be perpetuated and proclaimed constantly on this website (which is ridiculous) that if you play games for more time then "I" do, then you have no life because "I" of course have a perfect balance. You will then most likely go on to see that person list all the things they do and have (#1 is usually a GF) and try to justify just how much better than you they are. They don't only do this to justify to you and the other members, but mostly I think they try and justify it to themself. They don't want to admit/look to closely at their life just in case they realise that they don't have everything they want and believe that playing games too much is the reason (either by their own standards or someone else's)

  Thus to close this section of my blog out, please don't accuse anyone of not having a life because you have no idea WHO they are or WHAT they do with the time they have. It's childish and very petty, just don't do it.

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  Initiative
  Initiative is beautiful double edged sword. One glistening in the sunlight, made out of gold and encrusted with diamonds; the other rusty and bloodied but incredibly sharp. Let me explain myself further.

  Funnily enough my pondering on this idea began last night when an extremely attractive promotion girl was at my local RSL (while I was working) and she was handing out free samples of beer (cha ching!) and I filled her up a new jug of beer in which to distribute and she said "Great initiative" (among other things) and it got me thinking. What if she didn't want another one, or wanted a break or wanted a different beer? There in lies the problem of initiative.

  Initiative is very much a risk/reward action. If you do it well, you are praised and recognised by your boss (in a good light) and if you do it wrong you are criticised and also recognised by your boss (this time in not such a good light).
  The three problems with initiative are as follows and is thus the risk;
  1-If you weren't asked to do it, maybe it didn't need doing
  2-Someone else may have already done it therefore making what you did redundant
  3-You take the wrong initiative and simply bugger something up

  We all need to take initiative at one point or another because hey, it leads to good things (promotions, pay rises and extra curricular activities)but the ultimate problem is when, where and how? Three questions, I am sorry to say, you are not going to find the answer for in this blog (sorry if I got anyone's hopes up)

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  Managing Work or Managing People?

  As I previously mentioned I work in my local RSL (for those non-Australians among us think of something in between a bar and a nightclub). Personally I love the work, I think it's great. The people are nice and very friendly, it's not too strenuous and there's always sport showing (not as much NFL as I would like though haha). Some people, on the other hand, have lost enjoyment for the work and can make the environment not very conducive to efficient work.

  A few of the older members of staff who have been there quite a while have lost passion for the work (and what seems to be their life) and have taken to constantly complaining. This can really start to grate. I don't mind them venting but it's gotten to the point where that's all they do and they constantly insult members of the club when they are out of earshot. Granted there are some members that I don't really like, but I wouldn't go as far to insult them at every opportunity I got.

  Another problem which is much worse is that of Office Politics AKA Office Gossip. For a club where most of the staff are grown men, there is an insane amount of gossiping and *****ing, thus focus on work and positive outcomes is very quickly lost. For example a lovely female supervisor where I work has been copping a lot of garbage since she started there; whether its because she's a woman or relatively young (31) is unknown but I find it utterly unacceptable. She is one of the most amazing persons I have ever met and she shouldn't have to deal with the garbage she has dealt with. Constant gossiping behind her back about the most trivial of things and as most of our club is for older gentlemen, she is objectified on a daily basis. I can honestly say on more than one occasion that if I was her I would have slapped a few members and non-members alike.

  As I am studying business at university (passed my first year btw yay!) I did a unit in management. As a part of the course we had a booklet full of case studies and extracts from management novels about various work environments. Reading some of them honestly scared me, the workplace sounded absolutely horrible and almost put me off getting a desk career all together haha But I thought, nah, these must be the worst case scenarios in order to prepare us, it wont happen to me. Honestly I think I could have written a pretty good article about this club and it be a great case study for what not to do in working with/managing people. But enough with the staff issue of working, time to move on to managing work.

  As an RSL we have poker/pokie/slot machines (about 80 of them) and god aren't they something. Utter vacuums for money, it took me a bit of a loss to finally realise this. POKER MACHINES ARENT THERE TO INCREASE YOUR FUNDS, THEY ARE THERE TO TAKE THEM!!! Yes, you may win sometimes but play long enough and you will always be down. That's why when I see our regular pokie players I take a little bit of pity on them. Cause it must be a serious addicting where you can put $50 after $50 after $50 into a machine and constantly see it lost. Granted they can be very enticing with their bright lights and promise of riches, but you only have to play and lose on em once to know how deadly they can be, they are designed to take your money, they are a source of revenue for the club. I tried telling this to one of our regulars that also regularly complains about how she loses money, unfortunately it was lost in translation. So for all of you out there that have experienced or yet to experience poker machines either don't play them at all or set a reasonable level and as soon as you lose that, bail, quit while you are only an acceptable level of funds behind, never chase your losses cause 99% of the time, you WILL NOT win it back. I have worked in this club long enough and have emptied the machines at the end of the night many times to have realised how much people put through and I constantly wonder, why? Heck just give the money to me, I am sure I will make better use of it. It scares me when I see a month's wages in one machine.

  Well that's it, my work, initiative and getting a life all covered! I hope you enjoyed reading it and feel free to comment however you like (as long as its not abusive and has some intellectual standing )

  • Posted Dec 20, 2009 4:41 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 19Jun 09

  Stereotypical Parents: The Bane Of Society

  First of all let me start by saying, I love my parents, and they are thankfully not a part of the four types of parents I am going to mention. They don't have any rules or regulations of which I consider, for lack of a better word, stupid. Secondly, no, I do not have any children of my own. I am speaking from my own personal perspective and welcome any comments from the parents out there.
  There are four stereotypes which I believe are the reason for the decline in western civilization (a bit of an exaggeration, but I am just trying to make a point). They are: Undisciplined, Too Strict, Overprotective and perhaps the worst of them all Pass the Blame. Let's start with the first one shall we;
  Undisciplined - These parents don't believe in the simple thing called 'discipline,' thus their children are allowed to run wild and essentially do whatever they please with no repercussions. These are the children you see running around shopping centres screaming their heads off, at dinner with their parents eating like pigs and seem to have boundary and authority issues at school. I think we can all agree, nothing ruins a good meal like a bunch of screaming, unorganised children. I don't think can say they like it, and I am sure a few of us would like to/have had a chat to their parents, asking them politely (or sometimes not so politely) to control their children. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is they have either passed the point where control is an option or don't care enough to enforce these rules. Either way, it's not something I would like to see in any parent, simply because either way these children are essentially doomed for the early part of their life until they can individually decide what's right and what's wrong.
  Children need rules, boundaries; these very simple rules and boundaries should make their early schooling life easier for them and easier for everyone else. As children we don't have the ability to discern what is right and wrong, which is why the values and rules our parents instil on us is vital for our upbringing. As children we pretty much do everything our parents say AS LONG AS it was instilled on us from a young age, because as we grow up, our parent's rules become less and less important as we start to form our own values, ideals and morals.

  
  
  Let me state that I do not want to start a violent rebellion of children who don't agree with their parents. Remember that your parents have fed you, clothed you and looked after you when you have been sick. All I'm trying to do is make people aware and realise that these stereotypes are not something you should look up to. Unfortunately when you are young, parents are law and what you say will not really have any sway with the way they think or act. However, once you reach 16, 17, 18 (when you start becoming an adult) your parents will start to listen to more of what you say and you will have more intelligent discussions (I hope). So if your parents are one of these stereotypes and you don't agree with it, DON'T HATE THEM, you can DISLIKE THEM, but don't hate them. If you don't agree with what they are saying, talk to them, use intelligent and well thought out arguments. Chances are you will have to argue well (and a lot) to get your point across, but try to keep your cool, people tend to respond better if your civil (sometimes it will be too much to control and that's fair enough, but do your best).
  Also, I know there is an innate sense of protection that parents have over their kids, I am sure I will learn this when I have kids on my own but I will try my best to be the sort of parent I know my parents are. On the idea of protection, I know your children's safety and wellbeing is a priority, but you cannot shelter children and expect them to function well when they are an adult. You need to let them live their life, make mistakes, have accidents and they need to know that you'll be there no matter what. There is a difference between getting drunk at a party or having a car accident than doing illicit drugs (marijuana is MAYBE the ONLY one I would consider a lesser transgression than the others) and committing crimes. The first two are almost part of being a teenager and I think aren't too serious. On the other hand the last two are, and are really up to the parents to either stop this behaviour from occurring or make the child realise that this behaviour is not accepted in any way shape or form. Support them but be strict.
  Personally when I do become a parent I will have one, simple, yet complex rule. Once they hit high school I will give them my trust; they can go to parties, have boyfriends, be a teenager, but as soon as they do something I see as stupid and reckless i.e. start drinking, having sex at the age of 13; that trust will be lost and I will impose stricter rules until they gain my trust back again, which will be hard or relatively easy depending on the nature of the 'offence.'
  As a final paragraph; children obey and love your parents; but if you don't agree with their rules or what they say, question them with a logical and intelligent argument, you would be surprised how far that will get you. As for all the parents who fall under these categories PLEASE release that this behaviour should not be mimicked and you are not setting a good example for your children (from a child's perspective). Just Think.

  
  Too Strict - These parents believe too much in a thing called 'discipline.' I believe children till about 10 or so need fairly strict rules, simply because these rules will be the foundation of their life. These rules will become their own set of morals and beliefs and having parents that teach you the difference between right and wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable is one of the most important 'jobs' of any parent. Children need to know boundaries and need to respect and agree with these boundaries so that when they have children of their own they will be able to pass them on. Once kids start getting around teenage years, freedom and trust needs to be extended. Teenagers need to know that their parents want them to enjoy themselves, but also trust them to do the right thing (AND they only know the right thing if they have been previously educated on the subject).
  Teenagers want to go to parties, have boyfriends/girlfriends and eventually start drinking and having sex (the last too come a little later in the teenage years). What I will do when I am a parent is give my child my trust and responsibility. I trust that they will have a good time, but be sensible; drink, but not to excess, party but not TOO hard. I don't think I will allow sex and drinking till about 16, this will probably increase once I see my little girl in high heels and a mini-skirt though haha.
  In saying that, too strict is when a person hits 18 years of age (in Australia that is the legal drinking, smoking and criminal offences age) they should be given a little more responsibility. Granted crime is still off limits, but I think they should be able to drink as much as they see fit and have sex, no curfew. Unfortunately I know a girl who goes to my university who is 18 years of age, not allowed a boyfriend, has a curfew of 1am (it use to be 11pm) and coming home intoxicated is not an option. To me, this is insanity. She is LEGALLY allowed to drink and should be able to come home whenever she wants (maybe not whenever but 1 is a bit early) and she should be allowed to have a boyfriend. I do believe in sending parents messages to let them know you are alright (the streets of Kings Cross are a little unsavoury), but I think that a message now and again should suffice.
  In terms of gaming I really haven't heard of a parent being too strict, if anything they aren't strict enough so I won't go into any gaming practices for this type of parent.
  Too strict parents can be a very large burden on any teenager. It would be hard for them to relax knowing that they can't really have a drink and have to be home at an unreasonably early time. I think that once they finally get the freedom either by; parents allowing it OR not caring what their parents think anymore, that they would be more wild and crazy than if their parents had let them build up to it. They have some many things they have wanted to try and haven't been able to, that they will try to do anything and everything (including some things they and their friends normally wouldn't do i.e. drugs) in a very short space of time. This can lead to extreme negative consequences and really has a MUCH worse result than if they started doing these things earlier and did them gradually instead of all at once.

  
  Overprotective - These parents barely let their children in the sun for fear of cancer. They can very easily ruin childhoods. The main issue that brought me here was the removal of 'play equipment' from primary schools. Now I remember when I was at primary school, I LOVED the play equipment. Monkey bars, slides, seesaws and that crazy piece of wood on a spring where everyone gets on and moves around and the last person on wins haha. Every now and again children would get hurt, some more serious than others, but nothing worse than a broken arm or leg (no deaths or spinal injuries). Children loved them and accepted the sometimes not so pleasant consequences, and so did the parents. Recently various pieces of equipment have been gradually 'shut down' and are usually the ones that cause the 'most' injuries; until nothing was left. This greatly saddens me because those activities were some of the highlights of recess and lunch, they were a lot of fun and kept you active. Now it seems that parents don't allow their kids to have as much fun because god forbid one of them got slightly injured. Kids can't be kids anymore without their parents suing someone. That's right, if a child gets injured at school and the parent believes that it might have been prevented, they can sue the school. Let me first say...What the hell? Children fall down, children get injured, children like to HAVE FUN. Recently it seems children can't have as much fun as they should be use to because their parents will not allow it. I am receiving most of this information from my mother who works as a secretary in a primary school and she knows first hand the paranoia of parents. Who, will come rushing to their child's aid over a scraped knee.
  Now I ask you, what will happen to these kids when they are older? I don't think they will have a tough enough skin to deal with the real world and the sad thing is, they won't want to. They will have grown up believing that no injury is too small, no pain too insignificant that I don't think they will be properly able to enjoy their life. They will become, for lack of a better word, soft. Not only from physical injuries, but psychological as well. If their parent is always there to deal with minor insults and rejections, then how can they learn to deal with them by themselves? I can GUARANTEE everyone on this earth has been rejected at least once and has felt some psychological pain (usually in the form of heartache). Children and teenagers need to grow up dealing with these minor inconveniences because they become a lot worse once you get out into the real world, you have a little bit of room to make an error when you're a child, but that blanket is all but removed once you finish school. You are ****ed (cla ss is a forbidden word) as an adult and thus need to be able to deal with all the problems being an adult has to offer. Granted there are some problems that are easier to deal with when you get older (death of a wife/girlfriend, housing problems, bills etc) but you cant just go from nothing to everything all at once (as demonstrated with over protective parents). Its something you need to build up to, because dealing with these smaller problems will help to solve and get over the larger problems quicker.
  Thus I believe that you cannot be too overprotective of your child, you cannot let them grow up thinking they are made of glass. They need to get hurt before they can live life, it's a weird statement I know, but I know its true.

  
  Pass the Blame - Finally we come to the WORST time of parent imaginable, the type of parent I do not wish upon anybody. These parents are the most FRUSTRATING group of people in the world, and I reckon if I met one I would seriously consider slapping them in the face and asking, "What the **** are you doing?" This issue centres on gaming which I am sure many of you are relieved about because it will be easy to relate to. This thought started with every gamer's favourite (now ex-) lawyer, Jack Thompson. The absolute genius who believes that all crime is due to games because hey, we are all complete idiots who will imitate anything we see on a game. Now yes there are some idiots out there who are stupid (or mentally ill) enough to imitate their favourite game and for it to have dire consequences; but you know what, movies, books and music have the EXACT same effect on the same small minority of people. Those who cant differentiate between what is real and what is fake. What annoys me the most is not that he is petitioning against games like GTA but the fact that there are people who agree with him and it is mainly parents with young children who don't want their children playing these games. So instead of actually doing some parenting they decide to side with Jack Thompson and want to get rid of mature games. There is a GREAT reason that games have a rating, they are there to stop people of a certain age/maturity playing games that they do not fully understand. FOR PARENTS: If you do not want your child playing a certain game that is above their age bracket, THEN DON'T BUY IT FOR THEM; SIMPLE AS THAT. If they play it a friend's house, then talk to the other kid's parents. Do your damn job and stop blaming developers from creating games that are meant for a certain audience. In saying this parents do not stop children from playing games that they are legally allowed to play because chances are they have seen a lot worse in movies/the internet. Don't be overprotective. Also there are people who are of age and play games that do get deeply affected and will undertake stupid practices to imitate a game; but that is THEIR CHOICE. They do not need parents banning this game for everyone else, because if they are that easily manipulated or impressionable then it was only a matter of time before they did something along those lines.
  Another major issue, and one that is close to me, is the issue of an R18+ rating in Australia. I for one cannot see a reasonable rationale on why we should not have one. Various games have been banned or modified in Australia because they do not meet the MA15+ standards and I feel we are missing out on something. Granted all major games have been allowed in (in the case of GTA and Fallout 3 with modifications) but it is the principle. How is it that we are allowed to drink, gamble, smoke, drive, have sex and watch R18+ movies but suddenly we do not have the mental capacity to deal with an R18+ game...where is the sense in that? And then, it hit me. Its parents who are worried about R18 games, they are worried at what their child might see in these games if they play them. They don't want the responsibility of deciding what their child and cannot play, they would rather let the government do it and when they feel that the government hasn't done enough and they still don't like what their child is playing, they will blame the developers. They will blame the developers for something they LET their child see/play. For goodness sake, as parents it is your JOB to control what your child does and does not do, if you do not like what they are doing, STOP THEM or don't do anything at all; but PLEASE do not blame someone else for your own personal failings as a parent.

  
  To conclude I would like to say once again I am not a parent myself, I am only speaking from my own experience; that is all. I also do rant a little bit, but some of these parent stereotypes just do not agree with me (as you can tell by the title of this blog). You may also ask as a parent, "How the hell am I going to follow all this?" You don't, you take the general concept and you apply it to your own situation. Parents, talk to your child, let them know why you do the things you do, and have a logical reasonable explanation because as they get older more and more questions will come at you so you better have an answer. Children and teenagers, talk to your parents, if you don't like something they are doing let them know. I don't mean through violence, talk to them quietly and calmly and if you are disputing a rule then have some logical well thought out arguments, you would be surprised how far they will get you.

  Thank you for reading this extremely long blog, feel free to share your thoughts with a comment or two and don't be afraid to speak your mind, I will respond in kind!

  • Posted Jun 19, 2009 9:10 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 2Oct 08

  Graphics: Where Will It End?

  Recently a few incidents and games have gotten me thinking about graphics and when will graphics become 'too real' or will there ever be a point where graphics become too real.

  Games like Dead Space, Gears and Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway as well as the incidents where individuals or groups have tried to re-create something they saw in a game has gotten me on this thought. Will there ever be a point where graphics become as good as real life and i think there will be, probably within the 21st century. From the humble beginnings of Pong in 1972 to Crysis in 2007, in 35 years we have gone from; two rectangles and a sqaure moving across a tiny screen to some of the most amazing human and landscape models we have ever witnessed. So what will these models look like in 2100? Will they be as real as real can be? We wont be able to differentiate between games and the real thing, I think this will raise a few issues.

  1 - What will happen to companies such as ATI and Nvidia? They will eventually release a card that will not need to be upgraded or overclocked, will they cease to exist? Or will they continue to make cards that are faster, quieter and cooler? I know this will not happen in yours or my lifetime, but it is inevitable.

  2 - Definately the most controversial, what will ratings boards do? When will they say, 'No, this looks too much like an actual person.' I think this technology would be awesome for sports, racing, platformers etc but when it comes to FPS will the gore just be too much? Dead Space and Gears got me on this thought. In a developer interview one of the devs was talking about how your character can literally be ripped limb from limb by various creatures. Obviously it will look realistic, but there is still an obvious distinction between the real and what is represented in the game. This line will eventually blur and i think more and more games will be banned, not just overseas, but especially with military FPS even in America. Its one thing to shoot someone in the head, some blood spurts out and the body falls down and eventually dissapears. What happens when the actual affect of the bullet is shown and the body doesnt dissapear? I personally would find it extremely disturbing as i accidently stumbled across a website which showed what an M25 (large sniper rifle that is used to shoot through light armour) had done to a persons head and i can tell you right now, it wasnt pretty. I dont get that way with many things, Gears doesnt bother me, saw, not really, but this really affected me, mainly because it was so real.
  Games will eventually reach a point when they become lifelike and when this day comes I think people will initially be excited with the prospect of it. But i think you will find that one or all three things will happen; game stores will crack down on whos really playing the game (M game bought for a child), a new ratings system will emerge, or the ratings board will ban it all together. Personally i think the last option is the best because i think game realism needs to reach a point where devs will say, 'No, we dont need to go any futher with graphics, we dont want it to become too real'. I dont think they would want to lose one of the main reasons why games are popular, because they take people away from the finalities of actual life, people can escape into a world where almost anything is possible.

  3 - Imitation will sky rocket. People already manage to take themselves to new levels of stupidity and imitate games like GTA expecting that no matter what the crime their jail time will be the same and the only other loss is a bit of money and all their weapons. Then there is the sad story of 'The Halo Kid' where passionate probably bordering on obsessive child accidently shot and killed himself trying to imitate Halo. What will happen when games become so real they blur the line between game world and the real world. I think more and more people will start to 'test' scenarios out in games and then because it looks so real will believe that exact same scenario will work in the real world with no adverse consequences.
  Then on the other hand as the realism increases so does the potential for games in the use of training, army, flying, emergency services, doctors, when you think about it the possibilities are endless. This extra training could save many lives and help people in that profession cope with everything that their job entails without having to deal with the adverse consequences so these consequences dont exist in the future.

  In closing, graphics have been at the forefront of gaming ever since it was created, a new graphics card comes out over few months or even weeks and recent advances have made all games look better than ever (which is a definite plus for the consumer). But what happens when they become too real? Will games start being rejected? probably not, gamers believe that they are immune to most things, that they have been desensitized to most things and in general they have, but seeing someone die on a screen is alot different than seeing someone die in real life (even with no wounds, asleep in hospital). What i know there will be is an uproar from the general public (mainly parents) that content like this is available to their children because they are fearful of the affects and so they should be. I know i wish i hadnt seen that previous image. Yes you can still remember it is a game, but when the graphics look that good, come one or two or three hours in, i think people will forget that it isnt real and thats where problems lie.

  EDIT (Prompted by ChristianKiss): One thing i did forget to mention in the above blog was the affect to those people who play RPG and especially MMORPGs. I mean World of Warcraft is so far from reality its fantasy and yet we have addiction levels that has damage that rivals that of drug addictions. I remember hearing of a Chinese woman who played the game so long, she died. She did not sleep, eat and only drank a little and it eventually led to her death. People held a funeral service for her inside the actual game. Now this game's graphics are not state of the art, but it has that ability to make people addicted. What will happen when the graphics become real and the game is just as addictive? We could see one of too things;
  1-People will start to live their lives through the game and neglet their own real life. Everything they do inside the game will be as if they have done it in real life, and their reactions will be as if it happened to them in real life. They could become so emotionally attached to the game that because their actual wasnt as good as it is in the game, they will feel they can substitute it with their actual life and simply 'live inside the game'
  2-People will take their addiction of the game to the next level by forming a real life group of people whom share the same addiction and carry on in the real world as they would have in the game. Now most RPGs have a violent and ritualistic aspect to them and thus their character in game will reflect exactly who they are on the outside world. Instead of what games want you to do, make a character in your own image, it will cause the opposite and people will modify their image to be more like their character which can have extremely serious repurcussions.

  This obviously doesnt mean eveyone in the world will start to believe all of this and we will ipso facto start the apocalypse. But we are already seeing all of the things i have mention above today in the present. And as graphics improve and become more real, these incidences can only get worse as lines between fiction and non fiction, game life and real life blur. Does a pandemic of those formentioned problems above await? Only time will tell.

  Post your thoughts as a comment or if you want to write more, post a reply blog!

  • Posted Oct 2, 2008 2:08 am PT
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