This is where I post random garbage about what games I am playing. Check out my reviews for some more serious analysis.

• 13Jun 13

  I can never make sense of E3 (and other big industry events).

  I know a lot of folks around here really look forward to E3 but I look forward to it being over. I suppose I would enjoy attending one of these events in person but, to me, the coverage on them is self-indulgent and meaningless. "Hey! There are a thousand freaking games coming out! We are going to tell you about all of them right now!" Maybe it was truly awesome to get all your video game news all at once back when the industry was a bit smaller but it is just noise at this point. W/ the amount of time I'd have to put in to make any sense of E3, I might as well take on another job and that would cut into my gaming time.

  OK, I am through being a curmudgeon. Time to get back to my GBA.

  • Posted Jun 13, 2013 2:08 pm GMT
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• 21Dec 12

  Mental Illness, Automatic Weapons and Video Games

  "It's those volent video games. He played them for an hour a day."

  I overheard a coworker saying this a couple days ago in regards to the Adam Lanza, a man who one week ago was completely unknown and will now forever be remembered as the Sandy Hook shooter. This is not known to be factually true (and also oddly specific in the case of this particular quote: "an hour a day"). It is true Adam Lanza played some violent video games but the extent of his playing or how much of his life it took up. Just for the sake of argument though, let's just say he did play lots of violent games. I am not so much concerned w/ what one guy I work w/ thinks but of people's overall attitudes toward gaming.

  Now, I know a lot of gamers will try to brush off the idea that violent video games create violent behavior off as ridiculous using themselves as an example. "Of course playing video games makes you violent," they will say voices dripping in sarcasm, "Why I murdered a habbit of nuns myself the other week!" This is great if your ultimate goal is to be flippant but does not seriously address the issue at hand. Of course, playing violent games do not lead to violent behavior in 100% of cases and I don't think anyone is really saying they do. The question is not whether but how much and when violent video games can awaken violent behavior in people already inclined towards violence and otherwise.

  In the case of Adam Lanza, it seems pretty clear cut: if you notice a mentally ill person getting too involved in games with realistic violence, you really gotta take a good hard look at that situation. Most situations aren't so clear cut though and so I think the gaming industry and gaming community needs to take a good hard look at itself and seriously address the issues like these--and not just for the sake of worried parent either. If we want games to be taken seriously as art and entertainment form on par w/ literature or film, we need to also acknowledge the negative aspects of creating and consuming such a powerful medium.

  • Posted Dec 21, 2012 10:21 am GMT
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• 4Dec 12

  Screen Scratches Still an Issue on the 3DS XL

  I feel really dumb for letting this happen on both my original 3DS and now my 3DS XL, assuming the problem would be fixed in the latter case, but the bottom screen still causes scratches to the top screen. Or, to be more accurate, dirt can get stuck between the screens and it scratches along the outline of the bottom screen. This probably won't be an issue for most people if you don't carry your system in your pocket but for those of you who do, either get a screen protector or keep a cloth in between the screns. That is what I'm doing now.

  • Posted Dec 4, 2012 9:20 am GMT
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