Saturday, September 30, 2006
A few thoughts on video gamery
Right off the bat, I'd like to tell you I happen to have a certain...knack for video games. Therefore, my opinions might be a little skewed. One is naturally inclined to like the things that they are good at. And I don't want you to think I'm bragging, either. I don't like to brag; I'm not good at it. I have such little practice. My real accomplishments are usually quite impressive enough. Seriously, though, I prefer not to alter any situation beyond what's necessary. Sherlock Holmes, I think it was, said something about equating modesty to lying. I wouldn't go that far, but it is a good observation. He is, after all, Sherlock Holmes.
Before I started to ramble, I was trying to lay out my thoughts on video games. I actually started this post out of nowhere, just as something to do, but about the point I got to Sherlock Holmes there was a news story on television. The gist of it was "Are video games responsible for recent school shootings?" Only my extensive training in restraining myself from emotional outbursts saved my mother's television set. How...how, I ask, is this given airtime? Sadly, as I type this I realize I already know. Video games are controversial, and, as such, are put all over the news at every possible opportunity. "Is Super Mario responsible for recent turtle stompings? Doom III/Cheney shotgun incident connection found! Hundreds injured after recent Barbie's Horse Adventure rampage." Actually, I can kind of see that last one happening. And of course, putting video games on the news to get more ratings works. After all, I watched it. Since I had planned to talk about other aspects of video games, I'll just sum up the important parts of the video game violence arguement here: It's garbage.
Thank you for your time.
In other news, I-
What?
Oh, you want validation for the above statement?
Good.
I have trained you well.
Apparently, some wrong-minded individuals believe that playing violent video games makes a person violent. I disagree. For me, personally, playing a bad video game makes me violent. Playing a violent video game doesn't make me want to shoot a gun any more than playing a flight simulator makes me want to get a pilot's license. That's not applicable, they cry, a pilot's license requires an application process, you need to be a certain age, you need special training...Not at all like getting a gun. Not to mention, all the video games they mention as corrupting North America's youth? Yeah, they're all rated M for Mature. That, ladies and gentlemen, means they are not meant to be played by North America's youth. They are meant for adults, and I hope to play one someday. No, that's not true, I've played a few M-rated games in my day. Oddly enough, I've never done anything illegal. Gah. I just don't feel the ability to enunciate exactly what I feel about this, so I'll try to move on to a more positive aspect.
Video games create fan communities. The one I go 'round sometimes is a Halo fansite, one http://halo.bungie.org/. Now, Halo is a great game, powerful storytelling, pick-up-and-play controls, hugely fun multiplayer, the list goes on, but it's the people that play it that, in my mind at least, set it apart as an amzing game. Then again, if millions of committed fans played E.T., it would still be E.T....Hmm. Of course, if millions of fans played E.T., they'd have to be committed. To an asylum. So I guess the question is, is it the fans that make it a truly great game, or does a truly great game make the fans? I suppose either way it's a moo point.
You know, a moo point.
It's like a cow's opinion.
Doesn't matter.
It's moo.
[No, I'm not just mentioning HBO here so I could have an excuse to mention my new blog on the forums there. How dare you suggest such a thing?]
Nonetheless, there are plenty of great games that not many people have played. Psychonauts springs to mind. What makes the difference? I'm not going to say that one game is better than another, any more than I'd say eating Bavarian cream pie is better than spelunking, but why are some games embraced by the populace and some left to fend for themselves in the bargain bin at EB Games? It is a question that has puzzled the greatest philosphers for literally thousands of years. Is it just marketing? Bad press? No press? Is the Internet to blame? But this is one of those things that just escapes me.
I honestly don't know.
Trust me, it took me a while to type that. I don't usually say things like that.
I'm not exactly complaining, though, since I buy most of my games from the bargain bin. Whenever I find an amazing game for just a few bucks, I click my heels with the best of them. I'm still not allowed into Gamestop for the Simpsons: Hit and Run incident.
So, to summarize: video games--good. Jeff's blog--long winded.
With all due respect,
jdogmoney
221b Baker Street,
London, England
Before I started to ramble, I was trying to lay out my thoughts on video games. I actually started this post out of nowhere, just as something to do, but about the point I got to Sherlock Holmes there was a news story on television. The gist of it was "Are video games responsible for recent school shootings?" Only my extensive training in restraining myself from emotional outbursts saved my mother's television set. How...how, I ask, is this given airtime? Sadly, as I type this I realize I already know. Video games are controversial, and, as such, are put all over the news at every possible opportunity. "Is Super Mario responsible for recent turtle stompings? Doom III/Cheney shotgun incident connection found! Hundreds injured after recent Barbie's Horse Adventure rampage." Actually, I can kind of see that last one happening. And of course, putting video games on the news to get more ratings works. After all, I watched it. Since I had planned to talk about other aspects of video games, I'll just sum up the important parts of the video game violence arguement here: It's garbage.
Thank you for your time.
In other news, I-
What?
Oh, you want validation for the above statement?
Good.
I have trained you well.
Apparently, some wrong-minded individuals believe that playing violent video games makes a person violent. I disagree. For me, personally, playing a bad video game makes me violent. Playing a violent video game doesn't make me want to shoot a gun any more than playing a flight simulator makes me want to get a pilot's license. That's not applicable, they cry, a pilot's license requires an application process, you need to be a certain age, you need special training...Not at all like getting a gun. Not to mention, all the video games they mention as corrupting North America's youth? Yeah, they're all rated M for Mature. That, ladies and gentlemen, means they are not meant to be played by North America's youth. They are meant for adults, and I hope to play one someday. No, that's not true, I've played a few M-rated games in my day. Oddly enough, I've never done anything illegal. Gah. I just don't feel the ability to enunciate exactly what I feel about this, so I'll try to move on to a more positive aspect.
Video games create fan communities. The one I go 'round sometimes is a Halo fansite, one http://halo.bungie.org/. Now, Halo is a great game, powerful storytelling, pick-up-and-play controls, hugely fun multiplayer, the list goes on, but it's the people that play it that, in my mind at least, set it apart as an amzing game. Then again, if millions of committed fans played E.T., it would still be E.T....Hmm. Of course, if millions of fans played E.T., they'd have to be committed. To an asylum. So I guess the question is, is it the fans that make it a truly great game, or does a truly great game make the fans? I suppose either way it's a moo point.
You know, a moo point.
It's like a cow's opinion.
Doesn't matter.
It's moo.
[No, I'm not just mentioning HBO here so I could have an excuse to mention my new blog on the forums there. How dare you suggest such a thing?]
Nonetheless, there are plenty of great games that not many people have played. Psychonauts springs to mind. What makes the difference? I'm not going to say that one game is better than another, any more than I'd say eating Bavarian cream pie is better than spelunking, but why are some games embraced by the populace and some left to fend for themselves in the bargain bin at EB Games? It is a question that has puzzled the greatest philosphers for literally thousands of years. Is it just marketing? Bad press? No press? Is the Internet to blame? But this is one of those things that just escapes me.
I honestly don't know.
Trust me, it took me a while to type that. I don't usually say things like that.
I'm not exactly complaining, though, since I buy most of my games from the bargain bin. Whenever I find an amazing game for just a few bucks, I click my heels with the best of them. I'm still not allowed into Gamestop for the Simpsons: Hit and Run incident.
So, to summarize: video games--good. Jeff's blog--long winded.
With all due respect,
jdogmoney
221b Baker Street,
London, England
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A Word of Introduction:
A few words, actually.
I doubt I could sum myself up in one word.
Well, I want to try.
How about verisimilitude?
Right, nevermind then.
*clears throat*
I am a brilliant, handsome, intelligent individual. I always know exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to speak up. I am the epitome of style, grace, and panache. I know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, I know when to walk away, and I certainly know when to run. Actually, that song isn't very applicable, since I don't gamble. In anything. I'm always completely sure of myself, and right one hundred percent of the time.
I'm a dork. I have no clue how to act in any social setting, I'm constantly nervous, I've a bit of a grating personality, and I'm certainly an acquired taste. Just ask either one of my friends. I'm akward, unkempt, annoying, and in need of a good haircut.
Howdy.
The above are two separate descriptions of me. If I were you, I wouldn't trust either of them. You should take what I say (and what everyone else says, but we'll get to that later) with a grain of salt, and that, frankly, is granting more than I should get offhand. I'm actually a very trustworthy person, but that's beside the point. I'm too lazy to draw conclusions for you, so I'm afraid you'll just have to do it yourself, over time, from what you read here.
Since I so rudely requested you form your own opinion about me, I suppose I should give you some information about myself so that you can.
Some call me intelligent. I happen to think that if you think you're smart, you're not. Since I don't think I'm smart, does that mean I do, in fact, think I'm smart?
It's a vicious cycle.
I am a teenage male from West Texas, so I have no idea why I tend to use British idioms from time to time. I have thoughts on Life, the Universe, and Everything, but I'll get into that in another post. I should vary my sentence structure, but I'll wait until later.
Sorry.
I tend to type the way I speak, and frankly, I don't seem to have much to say right now. That, in itself, is unusual, as anyone who knows me can attest. It's a rare day when I don't feel up to the task of a discussion on the subtleties of a Christopher Walken impression, or precisely how and why the universe was formed and by whom. When not reciting half of a Monty Python sketch or being the straight man to a friend from school in an Abbott and Costello-esque routine, I can usually be found examining school politics or correcting a teacher on the use of a phrase.
I don't know if that comes across as cheeky, but I'm sorry, "I could care less" doesn't make any sense. If you could care less, then obviously you care some. It's supposed to be, "I couldn't care less." It is NOT a double negative, Mrs. **bleep**.
[Name censored for the saftey and well-being of this author.]
Heh. I seem to have found a topic I could speak on. For quite a while.
On into the night, even.
Some say I have a problem with authority, but all the people who say that are authority figures, so you can't trust them.
[If you didn't get that last joke you might have a few problems with this blog. I'm going to do a lot of flippant "Deep Thoughts" type of material. "The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw." That sort of stuff.]
Since I don't want to alienate anyone, especially now when there's no one to alienate, I'm going to cut this off short. Just one more thing:
My name is Jeff, although anywhere I go on the Internet I'm jdogmoney. That's right, jdogmoney. No caps.
Perhaps a word of explanation is in order...Well, again, it's really a few words.
In science class, in seventh grade, I had finished my work early. A shocker, I know. I got to doodling on that paper book cover they made me put on the textbook. You know, because nothing protects like a thin sheet of paper. Somehow, I have no idea why, I had written out my initials, JS, and made some random markings to convert it to J-$. Not one to leave anything half way done, I added with a flourish "Dawg." Remember, this was seventh grade. I was young and foolish. Well, young anyway, since I realized just how original and stylish this was, which is to say, not very. I then tweaked it into the stylish jdogmoney and forgot about it for eight months. When I needed a name for an e-mail account, it sprang to mind, and the rest, as they say, is bunk.
With all due respect,
Jeff
Postscript: Yes, I realize I didn't actually get around to introducing myself. Sue me.
I doubt I could sum myself up in one word.
Well, I want to try.
How about verisimilitude?
Right, nevermind then.
*clears throat*
I am a brilliant, handsome, intelligent individual. I always know exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to speak up. I am the epitome of style, grace, and panache. I know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, I know when to walk away, and I certainly know when to run. Actually, that song isn't very applicable, since I don't gamble. In anything. I'm always completely sure of myself, and right one hundred percent of the time.
I'm a dork. I have no clue how to act in any social setting, I'm constantly nervous, I've a bit of a grating personality, and I'm certainly an acquired taste. Just ask either one of my friends. I'm akward, unkempt, annoying, and in need of a good haircut.
Howdy.
The above are two separate descriptions of me. If I were you, I wouldn't trust either of them. You should take what I say (and what everyone else says, but we'll get to that later) with a grain of salt, and that, frankly, is granting more than I should get offhand. I'm actually a very trustworthy person, but that's beside the point. I'm too lazy to draw conclusions for you, so I'm afraid you'll just have to do it yourself, over time, from what you read here.
Since I so rudely requested you form your own opinion about me, I suppose I should give you some information about myself so that you can.
Some call me intelligent. I happen to think that if you think you're smart, you're not. Since I don't think I'm smart, does that mean I do, in fact, think I'm smart?
It's a vicious cycle.
I am a teenage male from West Texas, so I have no idea why I tend to use British idioms from time to time. I have thoughts on Life, the Universe, and Everything, but I'll get into that in another post. I should vary my sentence structure, but I'll wait until later.
Sorry.
I tend to type the way I speak, and frankly, I don't seem to have much to say right now. That, in itself, is unusual, as anyone who knows me can attest. It's a rare day when I don't feel up to the task of a discussion on the subtleties of a Christopher Walken impression, or precisely how and why the universe was formed and by whom. When not reciting half of a Monty Python sketch or being the straight man to a friend from school in an Abbott and Costello-esque routine, I can usually be found examining school politics or correcting a teacher on the use of a phrase.
I don't know if that comes across as cheeky, but I'm sorry, "I could care less" doesn't make any sense. If you could care less, then obviously you care some. It's supposed to be, "I couldn't care less." It is NOT a double negative, Mrs. **bleep**.
[Name censored for the saftey and well-being of this author.]
Heh. I seem to have found a topic I could speak on. For quite a while.
On into the night, even.
Some say I have a problem with authority, but all the people who say that are authority figures, so you can't trust them.
[If you didn't get that last joke you might have a few problems with this blog. I'm going to do a lot of flippant "Deep Thoughts" type of material. "The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw." That sort of stuff.]
Since I don't want to alienate anyone, especially now when there's no one to alienate, I'm going to cut this off short. Just one more thing:
My name is Jeff, although anywhere I go on the Internet I'm jdogmoney. That's right, jdogmoney. No caps.
Perhaps a word of explanation is in order...Well, again, it's really a few words.
In science class, in seventh grade, I had finished my work early. A shocker, I know. I got to doodling on that paper book cover they made me put on the textbook. You know, because nothing protects like a thin sheet of paper. Somehow, I have no idea why, I had written out my initials, JS, and made some random markings to convert it to J-$. Not one to leave anything half way done, I added with a flourish "Dawg." Remember, this was seventh grade. I was young and foolish. Well, young anyway, since I realized just how original and stylish this was, which is to say, not very. I then tweaked it into the stylish jdogmoney and forgot about it for eight months. When I needed a name for an e-mail account, it sprang to mind, and the rest, as they say, is bunk.
With all due respect,
Jeff
Postscript: Yes, I realize I didn't actually get around to introducing myself. Sue me.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Hey, how's it going?
Look, if you got a few minutes to kill, maybe this won't be a total waste of your time. I'd love to elaborate more, but I have to run.
Beleive me, I'd love to elaborate more.
I'm what you might call...verbose, if you're euphamistically minded. Or, a wordy little **bleep**, if you're not.
Only through enormous force of will, only a veritable Herculean effort binds my tongue-er, fingers- to keep this initial post relatively short.
I hate working on a deadine.
Beleive me, I'd love to elaborate more.
I'm what you might call...verbose, if you're euphamistically minded. Or, a wordy little **bleep**, if you're not.
Only through enormous force of will, only a veritable Herculean effort binds my tongue-er, fingers- to keep this initial post relatively short.
I hate working on a deadine.
