Example of the Game Industry

Link Here.

*Sigh*

Generally speaking, my overall attitude regarding business is good. I like business; it interests me. Journalism gets a *very* skeptic eye from me, though. Seeing bias in the news is nothing new nowadays, and it seems to skew in the favor of the current readership, or the exploitation of them. Tweaking their pull strings, rapid and constant pushing of certain buttons, these journalists seek to maximize their traffic with sensationalism in lieu of real stories (which is why I linked to a summary, and not the actual podcast). On one hand, I get it; exciting headlines bring in the traffic. On the other, though, anyone can shout loudly about something and get attention; it's something else if you actually have something to say, and I'd rather get news from people with news to tell.

Going back to before, I like business. What I don't like, though, is industry. Industry as a word brings assumption of a group or groups in charge of an entire sector of business. The lack of a threat of being taken over, disrupted, or otherwise lost in wealth and career makes people in that sort of power comfortable and overconfident. I know I'm not the only one who's noticed a pattern or formula in established media.

Game Industry as it is now is neither comfortable nor overconfident in their position now, as evidenced by "stories" like this one (it's not just arbitrary categorization, it's also a misrepresentation of data by splitting it this way. Who says what is casual and not anyway, if that is even the right term? It's like the book industry splitting up the best seller charts so that Harry Potter won't show up on top of the regular list). It's easy to find the ones with an angle that doesn't prove much by looking at the "goal posts", or the conditions of proof. The more complex the goal, the more BS it is.

Whatever happened, by the way, to the customer is always right? Okay, in big business, you have to alter this a bit: the customers are always right. If the people say no, and they vote with their money, that is your loss, and not theirs. I think that many corporations are failing lately have a lot to do with ignoring this idea. Never mind the failing economy, how did the economy fail in the first place? Tricking customers, no matter who they are, will see consequence somehow, even if the top executives get by on a golden parachute. Averting corporate failure with bailouts is the same as propping up a dead parrot and selling it off if you ask me.

See how ridiculous it is?

Anyway, I'm getting off track.

Seeing the game industry suffer and flounder this way tells me that it will either shape up, and bring new and real talent into the fold, or collapse and die. Either way, video games as we know them now will never be the same. Nearly everything will change, and I'm confident that it will change in the next 5 years or so, maybe less. The old way just isn't sustainable anymore.

Holidays

Happy Turkey Day for anyone reading this I missed on Thanksgiving.

My posts may become somewhat infrequent now that the holidays are upon us (as I'm sure the reading of this blog may be more infrequent for the same reason). Well wishes to all, and I will be back posting more when I can better compose my thoughts for viewing.

How Busy Can I Be?

Being busy is usually a poor excuse for not being social. I mentioned before that one guy I know didn't go to a party because he had laundry to do. That's just silly; the clothes will be there when he gets back. At his/my age, nothing so small should get in the way of a party (I can't speak for those older than me; maybe it actually does get in the way if you have 18 loads to do). Sometimes, though, things really do get in the way.

After helping my Mom move, I hurt my back. In fact, it's not quite better yet even now (I guess I ended up aggravating it later on). That put me out of a few activities involving going out, and I didn't even want to call anyone.

The Pathfinder/D&D game takes up serious time as well, because while we meet up twice a week, there is more involvement when running a game as I do.

Upgrading to Windows 7 took too long for me to finish up, and cost me more money than I needed to spend. Short version; the Netgear website said that Win7 didn't have drivers for my wireless adapter, and Windows itself confirmed this (along with the MS compatibility website). After my own brand of troubleshooting, and growing impatient, I decided to get a more modern adapter. After setting that up (which had its own eccentricities), and downloading the latest update, lo and behold, my old adapter gets drivers. So, as of now, I'm double wireless.

Working nights... sigh... I don't want to get far into that. Just know that I end up making up for lost sleep on my weekends (12 hours of sleep yesterday), and it's an easy subject for anyone on the shift to expound upon.

TV shows take up more time than I expected them to do; at any one time, I watch at most 16 shows a week (9 hours, in other words). While those are downloading, I have several websites I keep up with, and a few of those are also video sites with weekly updates.

I can't neglect the video games. I've been frugal with nearly all purchases of any kind this year, and games took a big hit when I got a new car. As a result, most of my game playing has been current catalog stuff (which is, still, hundreds of games). Taking a look at my room, most of the space has been taken up by games.

For something somewhat related, and a way to end the post, I will somehow grab a hold of this game and play it like crazy.

Hiatus

I had a short break from internet access, so this blog was neglected. I will put in some effort to bring it back up to speed, now that I have it back (no thanks to Windows 7).

The Pavlovian Game Cycle

The hardest of hardcore gamers go through it; internet forum users go through it; hell, even kids have to go through this mess. New video games that are released under the old, traditional business model have a hype period. During this period, publishers will show off their wares to magazines, web sites, and talk shows alike to boost the hype for a given game with a big budget. There's nothing wrong with this; after all, advertising your product increases awareness, but the method itself could use some revision.

What happens is that publishers talk to the same people over and over, meaning the same customers. They bring up the latest talking points, how the game is revolutionary, innovative, creative, intense, and all sorts of adjectives made to appeal to this audience whether the game has these qualities or not. They talk about the technology, the realism, the photo-realism, and other visual cues, too. There's also talk about the length of the experience (remember when games were about what level you got to and not how long you've played it?). Certainly not every game can be the best at all these, especially when these games are released a couple of months apart when in development for 3 years, can they?

Why do publishers like talking to the same people? Hype, and fast results. This strategy can get a few hundred thousand to a few million to buy the game in the first week or two weeks. Once the hype has settled down, and word of mouth spreads about the game, sales plummet to a few thousand a week in most cases. The only time sales continue at a solid pace, or even increase since release, is if the game is genuinely enjoyable and fun to play. But I'm not talking about those games, here.

Shortly after the release of one of these hype machine games (most games nowadays), it's pretty easy to find in the used game bin for resale. Now, I've talked about the attitude of the industry regarding used games before here, so I won't go far into it. Just know that if a game is in the used bin in large quantities, it's because the hype machine got the best of hardcore gamers again.

It feels to me like some of these industry executives are just ringing a little bell to grab the attention of gamers eager to find something worthwhile to play. When they find an empty experience, it's natural for them to feel burned, and get angry at the bell. Sometimes, the gamer doesn't respond, and the industry suffers for their false alarm. For me, personally, I'd rather the gamer stop listening to the bell altogether, and start listening to each other.

Let the word of mouth spread among like people with similar tastes, as it happens now, but with everyone doing it.

Nerd Rage

I've mentioned a bit about game industry hypocrisy and hardcore gamer attitude on this blog before. This generation of consoles has been so polarizing it's led to many angry, arrogant, hateful conversations among gamers and industry types alike. What is it that got so many people wound up? With many companies having failing strategies, where did they go wrong?

In business, if you give people what they want, you are rewarded with money. This should be obvious, but this seems to be lost on a few people I've heard in the news lately. The goal, then, should not be to make money, but to make customers, as they are the source. Making customers, then, should involve giving them what they want, even if they don't know that they want it. Many games and products this generation have integrated in them many more ways to make money than to make customers. Granted, there are a few that get it, but especially on the console side of things, this isn't so. Let me illustrate this.

By and large most 360 and PS3 games released come with available downloadable extras. These extras cost usually a few bucks apiece, up to ten in many cases, and are usually released shortly after the game is (one company had the gall to have their content up on day 1). The defense for this content is that the game is complete without it, and is simply there for those who want more content. The problem, and usually the counterpoint, is that the games themselves are expensive already (PS3 and 360 games are $60 standard), many people want a value for their money. Placing content outside of the regular game and charging for it means that $60 doesn't mean that you buy the game anymore, rather, you get the bare bones edition. This is actually something that the game industry can learn from movies: give a few extras on the disc, so it's a complete experience the first time.

Many game companies are risk-averse; this is usually okay, unless you work in entertainment. Entertainment needs to surprise people, and in order to do that, risks must be taken (you can't, after all, ask someone, "What surprises you?" and get a relevant answer). They view the Wii as much too risky of a venture, despite its success. This success is seemed to be limited to only Nintendo, as they have had more success with their platform than anyone else (partly true; Nintendo is a fantastic developer, to be sure, but it's not like the platform is exclusive). Many of these companies will go with "test games", used to try the market out with a small investment. Gamers, though, are pretty keen, and can tell when a game is cheaply made, or is entirely uncreative. So when these tests fail, and they always do, the blame is placed on the customers who didn't buy into their cheap crap. Making things worse for these companies is they refuse to develop proper games for the leading platform, because they don't know how to succeed (I'm paraphrasing, here, but these are their words, not mine).

So there is this industry with much more potential than is being realized. The conversation between gamers and industry can improve leaps and bounds, and when it does, both can be satisfied.

Movie Hype

I am definitely looking forward to the new Terry Gilliam film.

I certainly had fun watching several of his films (Brazil, I thought, was brilliant), and this one looks to be a visual treat. I just wanted to share this, in case any of you didn't see it yet.

My Yearly Review

I received my yearly review at work the other day (3 years! Longer than I've been anywhere). I wasn't very happy with the result. This year, and probably every year following, a budget crisis has hit the casino, and one of the ways they decided to cut their costs, was to cut the raises. The way they decided to go about this, however, was actually a bit sneaky; don't change the policy, just give them a smaller raise. In order to pull something like that off, employees needed to get low marks on reviews for any and every reason. So, let's get to my review.

The first item I noticed was that a couple of incidents managed to make their way into several categories for the review; the same event that I wasn't written up for due to managerial incompetence, not my own, was in the commentary for why my score was lower in both attendance and policies & procedures, for example. In fact, looking at the categories, there was plenty of potential for overlapping which meant that one write-up could bring your total score down by a few points at a time.

Second, for the things that were praiseworthy, and certainly my strong points as an employee, they didn't matter much at all in the review. My best qualities were at best worth 1 point, and with a potential 4 points in many positive categories, it just makes one wonder who they were kidding. I know I'm better than 1 point, and I also know that other people know that I am, too.

All in all, it was the worst kept secret regarding employee benefits at the casino. Cut the raises in half, but don't make it look like we're cutting the raises in half; the only way to pull this off is to make the employees look like they were pieces of crap in comparison to years before (I went from 2 5% raises the past 2 years to a 3% raise this one. Better than a pay cut, to be sure, but we're all in a situation where we need all the money we can get). I went from fantastic reviews to simply a mediocre one, and nobody wants to hear that they are mediocre.

How anyone could be surprised at my reaction to that (which they were) is beyond me.

A Glorious Dawn

Let's try this embedding stuff.

This song will get stuck in your head, but that's okay, as it's also a bit soothing. Just wanted to share that.

Edit:

I thought this was kinda funny.

The Man Test

Among the few guys on my shift there is a particular man test that all of us have taken. Here's how it goes: first, take a can of air, and a counterfeit pen cap (regulation size). Next, turn the aforementioned can d'air and turn it upside down, and squeeze the trigger gently with the pen cap just underneath the nozzle. The can will leak out the chemical used to make the air into the cap if done correctly. After that, hold out your hand. Finally, pour the contents of the pen cap onto your hand and hold it there for as long as you can. There it is; the casino cage man test.

Much like other man tests, this isn't exactly a smart thing to do. In fact, it is an unusually cold and painful sensation (it left frost on my hand). Also like other man tests, not everyone passed; it was clear then that one of the guys simply was not a man yet (don't make that face, I passed).

The test was not without casualty, though, as there is a bruise or something on my hand that has been there for days, and it itches like crazy on occasion (someone told me it was minor frostbite, but even that looks a bit much compared to this).

Bearing this in mind, a couple of the guys have already thought of tougher man tests to endure at work (you know, a cage match).

Anyway, the cage has to be one of the most spontaneously entertaining places for surveillance to turn to watch with all the shenanigans we're up to. On more than one occasion, we'd get a call from them and all they could do was laugh at us on the other end of the line. Well, it turns out that they make a tape of highlights for the next shift, sort of like an outtakes reel.

I'm glad I was able to brighten someone's day with my pain.

Turbo the Movie

Link Here.

It's about 30 minutes long, and some have aptly described it as Karate Kid meets Tron.

This may be some of what games in the future are like, actually. This setup itself may not work competitively, because while the moves are seemingly entirely dependent on your own skill, there isn't really anything in the way of feedback (at first, anyway). Anyway, the interface itself looks too much like it needs study, which is why only the most dedicated to the game would advance competitively. They pull off some moves I had no idea that the game would be able to interpret correctly, too, but it's a movie, and liberties like that must be taken sometimes.

Another thing that games can do, and will do in the future, is mind-controlled applications (they have running prototypes already; lots of sci-fi stuff). They can actually take that a step further, and have sensors for other things and react accordingly (exhibit A and B). These things look silly now, but so did Guitar Hero when it was first released.

Now, there's nothing wrong with a board game; one of my high school projects was a board game, and it was fairly popular with the open-house parent-and-valedictorian crowd. That said, the future tends to be exciting because it's unknown, and there's not much room left for surprising people with a board game (though imagine the scenario in which introducing one would be completely surprising. The priest says, "Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Who's up for some Settlers of Catan?" Sorry, that was pretty inappropriate).

PSP NoGo

Reviews are in.

From the day of its announcement, I knew Sony had its work cut out for them to make something like this sell. Much like the Game Boy Micro when it was released, its a new release of an older handheld with fewer functions, sleeker style, and a premium price point (See, I do have a precedent and not just bashing Sony due to some supposed bias). There are just too many compromises made for this system.

First, the UMD drive is gone. Okay, many people (including myself) didn't like the optical disc format in the first place, so it would make sense if Sony were listening to its customers to do something like this. But here's the thing: the reasons the UMD drive wasn't popular was because lugging around those games were tedious and unportable as they were, plus it drained the battery like crazy to have an optical drive on a handheld. Their solution with the Go does address the lack of portability, but not the battery life; it comes with a smaller battery, so it lasts as long as the old model does. Many gamers kept spare batteries with them when the PSP ran out of juice, as it happened frequently. But the Go makes this problem worse, as the battery isn't replaceable. Deal broken here.

Second, the current accessories no longer work, and new ones are proprietary. This one is for current owners mostly, and not too big a deal otherwise. The new memory sticks are pretty expensive, though.

Third, the download-only Go has the same old wireless 802.11b. Have fun not playing your games when you buy them, instead waiting for the download to finish. Sure, some games might not take too long, but many are more than 1GB, with no chance of resuming if your connection is interrupted (on wireless, that could be all the time). Plus, with the safety measures in place, no game or system update (required to play any game at all) will install without a full battery charge, meaning you can't get a new game when you're out (hehe, on the Go). Which brings me to the next part...

Service. All purchases are on the PlayStation Network, which is fine, but the PSN doesn't have all the PSP games. Furthermore, even if you did get all of them, you're not given ownership of your game; you get to download it up to five times. All at a price of MSRP. Speaking of price...

The Go itself is highway robbery at $250. Considering the PSP at 200, DSi at 170, and the DS at 130, you can do much better for your money.

Inundation of Information

Link Here.

The response is spot on; most people cannot possibly get away with cheating a casino, and if they do, it's just a matter of time until they get caught, provided they don't know when to stop. Most criminals really don't know when to stop, either, if any random gambler is any indication.

A casino may be a more attractive venue for crime than a bank, but the measures put in place to secure it make it very difficult for anyone to pull off. Plus, there are way more people working against you than with you if the system gets tested.

That said, there was one robbery not too long ago. This guy rushed one of the floor clerks and snatched his money pouch. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, he was on camera, and only made off with about 1,500 dollars. Sure, that's a bit more than a month of pay for me (some months it's not), but word spread quickly to local casinos and authorities; any attempt like that again at any casino in the area would be met with force.

At any rate, 1,500 isn't too much money when it comes to what's held in a casino. Some customers are in awe of the back cages full of chips, asking how much there is (I can't tell them, of course, but if they are good at counting chips...), but that just goes to show how unaware they are of the piles of cash in a casino, even a small one.

Every cashier and clerk is also trained to detect counterfeits, whether they are chips, bills, checks or what have you. Some of them are trained by the Secret Service to detect counterfeit bills (myself included), so those criminals that try and pass off bills have to be very confident in their process to do this directly. Truthfully, most counterfeiters may walk (or run) away from the incident, but they never fool anyone (it's easy to tell who's guilty by seeing who runs when we step back and make a phone call).

I could go on about how the casino works, but instead, I'd rather go to the renaissance fair.

Phenomenon

It's things like this that tell me that either I'm just not aware of the goings on, or we just don't know everything there is to know.

For years now, I've had this experience that I'm sure is totally explainable (and supposedly is), but there are some street lights that go out not only frequently, but every time I approach them, driving or walking. Okay, so confirmation bias might be at work here, as well as the idea that dying street lights go out many times before they go out for good, but there is another light at my apartment complex that isn't a street light at all, and that one goes out every time, too. There can't be a timer on it, as it happens any time I show up, but a motion sensor could. With that in mind, what light goes out when it detects motion? Every motion sensor light that I've seen turns on (apart from this one, of course), for ease of use and security. Plus, nobody that I asked has experienced the same thing. Weird.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying this is some magical aura type of thing, just a weird happening that I don't quite get (I'm not a loony, I swear).

If someone knows more, please, enlighten me (har har).

When I'm Not Here

There is a common idea that for techies like me, who is surrounded by technology, that I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have it. On the contrary, I do just fine without it. Let me explain this a bit.

The focus shouldn't be on the technology, rather, it should be on what we do with it. I use tech because it's an easy and familiar way to solve the problems that are presented to me (and in the case of the last week, presenting new problems by being entirely inconvenient). For example, I've mentioned that I have been working on a pen-and-paper RPG on this blog before. The game itself doesn't use a computer at all, though much of my work is on a computer. The reason for this easy: it's a quick and convenient place to put my writings on the subject. If I didn't have a computer, I'd just write it down. As a matter of fact, there are still notes that I've taken that are not on the computer, because I started by writing it down first.

Okay, so I play all kinds of video games. If I wasn't doing that, I have other interests that keep me busy (and might be a better way to pass the time while I'm at it. maybe). I also do a lot of reading and writing, neither of which require advanced technology.

My point is that people like me know exactly what to do in the face of a world-wide EMP blast. If anything, because we are so familiar with tech, we know what it does and does not do for us.

On a related note, I'll try and post in the comments some of the work I did on a D&D class in the past few days. Not necessarily for you to read it all, but to show you a little of what I do.

Comcast sucks some more

Sorry about the lack of posts, as I am wrestling with getting an internet connection back up. I'll be back soon.

Goofing Off

Link here.

Ouch. Somebody needs to remember when to be a cop.

I sometimes goof off at work, as it makes the place bearable, but even when I'm goofing off, I'm still working. That said, I'm not a cop in the middle of a drug raid.

On another note, I had my title 31 refresher class yesterday. Wait, that might not make sense to anyone reading this. Okay, basically title 31 is the federal laws that obligate me to cooperate with the government in catching financial criminals. Which means lots of paperwork for us, and the occasional frustrated customer thinking he's being taxed. This refresher class was different, though.

We had a guest speaker yesterday; a special agent from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Her purpose there was basically to reassure us that the papers we send out to the feds are useful and have helped put many criminals behind bars. Mostly, it seems, that more than that it helps them put away criminals for much longer, as our papers are usually the only proof of money laundering. All in all, she was pleasant and brief, as she turned a usually 2-hour class into a 40-minute one, which is more than I could say for the Secret Service agent we had last year. You know, for someone in the Secret Service, he sure did talk about a lot.

So I quickly finished the new Dan Brown Book...

The Lost Symbol. I tell you what, it had me hooked, and I just had to know what happened next. If you've read the other books or seen the movies (Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code for the uninitiated), this book has the elements you've come to expect from a Langdon adventure. There are enough twists, some I anticipated, few I didn't, plenty of suspense, and a good mystery overall. I like how it takes place in D.C., too; you couldn't have done better to convince me that it would be a worthwhile trip (though I hear it is a rough city).

There's this subplot that centers around Noetic Science. Now, it would be fantastic if their claims are true, and it turns out people can be healed by willpower alone from a distance and all that jazz, but until their results are solid and repeatable, in a word, fact, claims are all they have. Anyway, the good news is that while it's present in the story, none of it is critical for the story to work. Nobody uses their jedi mind tricks here, which is great, because then I, like Langdon, wouldn't believe it.

In summation, Dan Brown does a good job of mixing ideas together to form a complete narrative. If this book is also adapted to film, I can already see a couple of parts that would need to change entirely (One really suspenseful scene is entirely in the dark. That simply wouldn't work visually), but I'd be there to see it in theaters.

Well, now that this one's done, what next? Any recommendations for a good read?

It Was Bound To Happen...

Link Here.

Of course I'm not surprised about this particular, ahem, implementation of this technology; there were jokes about things like this since people were thinking about motion controls on consoles. I am also not surprised to see Team Ninja being the first to commercialize it, either (exhibit A for pervertedness, exhibit B for how long they've been up to this). These guys (and you know it's mostly guys) have never been bashful about how they sell sex with their games. The appeal, supposedly, is that they make great games that also happen to be very male-targeted with upskirts and jiggly jugs.

Now, the older version of Ninja Gaiden 2 doesn't have this "feature" at all, which is reason enough to advertise it I guess. I played the other version, and it's tough as nails to progress through (I died in the introductory level, not even called level 1. Really tough). This makes me wonder: with this version, is the sort of thing they show in the commercial the payoff for progressing through the game? If so, you can count me out, as the real thing(s) must be easier to deal with.

And now for something completely different.

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

In case you weren't aware, Sept. 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, where the only thing you do to celebrate is talk like a pirate. The basics are here, if you want them. If you already talk like a pirate, then today's the day to just have fun with it.

Cheers!

Addendum

Dreams

I've had this recurring dream lately. Now, I'm not much for dream interpretation, but in the absence of authority, I like to humor the possibilities. Sure, there are psychological studies, but it doesn't seem we can get a mostly agreeable standpoint in which we should understand our dreams. Perhaps the most agreeable meaning is that they don't mean anything at all. Even still, I sometimes look online at a couple of dictionaries, put it all together and see if it has any merit or weight in it (usually doesn't, but it's kinda fun). Well, let's do that now and see what we get.

First, let's start with the dream/s. The basics of it is that I'm in my mom's old house, and my brothers are present (Just myself, Mom, and Brothers). We are having small talk, and during conversation we all notice that shoes are disappearing. Well, it turns out that the floor in certain parts has turned acidic, and was burning and eating away at our belongings and dishing out minor burns. Before things get too crazy, the dream ends.

Next let's look at some of the definitions for what has transpired. The floor could be reference to the foundation of lives and relationships of myself and people in the dreams. The acid may mean that I'm super angry, or that I'm being manipulated and something is eating away at me. The brothers being present may mean themselves or an aspect of our relationship. The conversation with Medusa, I mean, Mom (just kidding Mom, you know I love you) means that there is something that is bothering me, and I don't know how to deal with it. The loss of shoes suggest a loss of identity or serious setbacks and poverty. The burning injuries might be intense emotions that I can't ignore, or that I'm "burned out." Alright, let's put it together now.

One interpretation could be that the foundations of my relationships with my brothers is faltering, and my anger is causing it. I don't know how to handle this anger, and I lost myself being blinded by it. Could this really be it? I don't think so, because I'm not that angry of a person.

Another might be that I'm burned out at my job, and worse, it's not getting me any richer, and in fact, the opposite is occurring. I don't know what to do about my lack of money, and it's eating away at me and it's making it harder for me to be there for my family. This is prime source of frustration for me. How about this one? Actually, that pretty well sums it up for me. The biggest source of frustration for me lately has been that I can't be around everyone. I'm sick, I'm not happy with work, and money has always been a stressful subject for me.

Way to go, online dream interpreter. With trial and error (and multiple meanings), you got one.

Freakin' Sweet

Link here.

No need to watch the video, the summary is good enough.

I just wanted to share that, though. That's love right there.

Physical Challenge

I challenge everyone reading this blog to a game of Stereogram Tetris. If you can see those old-school magic eye pictures, try playing Tetris in the same fashion. On my first try, I got 4,300 points, which is nowhere near the high score.

If you can't see what is in the image above, maybe you should sit this one out. Otherwise, happy gaming!

Edit: It turns out the picture is just too big for my layout. Save it, or open it in a new tab to see the whole thing.

Koko Wa Foot Bento

Alright, I know that I have a few posts about the customers at the casino, but this is one that is hard to let slide. Someone should know about this.

The first customer I had last night (it's always the first one), needed change for a hundred. She handed me the bill, and upon inspection, I noticed it was a bit soggy. She chimes in, "Yeah, the bill is a bit soggy."

"Okay... how did you want your money?"

"Twenties."

Wiping my hands off, I pull out her new bills and hand them out. Only afterwards does she mention, "Yeah, the hundred was in my shoe."

As soon as she leaves view, I bolt for the sanitizer.

Okay, first, what possesses someone to not only stash their money in the shoes they're walking in (how uncomfortable is that?), but also to change it at a cashier, and subsequently tell said cashier all about it?! What was the point?

First of all, I handle all sorts of money. If anyone is exposed to all sorts of germs, it's anyone who handles money. Or trash. Or in the sewers. Anyway, with all the things you'd find on any dollar bill, why, oh why, would anyone think it's a good idea to keep uncovered money on your skin.

Secondly, despite that I handle all sorts of money, she made me feel ill. Feet themselves are not disgusting, but she's been walking around all night sweating it up, some complete stranger who might have a fungus or something hands me a wet bill, and I'm supposed to be fine with that. My stomach churned a bit, and I asked the cashier next to me, "Do I look any, uh, more pale than usual?"

I know I end up complaining a lot about work on this blog. That just tells me I need new work.

Where Are Your Kids?

I've been asked a very particular question lately: "When will you have kids?" It's been very frequent, so much so that it doesn't seem much of a stretch to think people are collaborating in a conspiracy to get me thinking about children. Not a day goes by, really. Well, let me address it here first, so perhaps I could give a better answer the next time (which would be sometime today I guess).

First, let me start right out by saying that I love kids. I hope to have a few myself, and that fact seems to be tattooed on my forehead. Just thinking about it, I know that by the time I do have a baby I'd probably break down in happiness. So what's the deal, then? What am I possibly waiting for? Well, the short answer is that I'm afraid, but that doesn't work well as an explanation when prodded with the question, and is very incomplete as an answer. So let's go a bit deeper.

The first excuse that comes to mind is that I haven't settled down with anyone, ever. In the past few years, all I've managed is a date every now and then. It's not like I'm repulsive (I'm pretty sure), just that there hasn't been a mutual feeling of keeping things together. Single life only gets harder as you get older; at least, that's what people tell me. I suppose it's good that I look young, even for my age, but with the barrage of baby questions, I get the impression that the hour is late, and I need to make some decisions and put them on the fast track.

Secondly, I live in an apartment with a roommate. This isn't much of an excuse, actually, but I would like to point out the lifestyle that comes with it. I am very much accustomed to sleeping at any hour when I need it, as I work nights. Also, the apartment itself isn't a place for children. Chemicals are placed conveniently instead of safely, there are bladed weapons strategically-placed for protection and for the zombie apocalypse (another whole post for this scenario/joke), spare computer parts and video games galore take up much of the space in my room, and it's upstairs. Unless my wife/girlfriend/whatever works during the day, nobody is here at night. This won't work with a newborn at all. I would need to leave this place behind. Eventually.

Thirdly, I can barely afford myself, much less a baby. Every parent will tell you how expensive babies are, and I'm stretching my money as it is. I'd much rather be in a more comfortable situation financially before intentionally straining it with a baby. Every day, one of my meals is a cup of noodles or mac and cheese. I don't need to make it every meal; it's not healthy, and it would get boring. There are not too many jobs in the area that pay more than mine, and the ones outside the casino that do are not as secure. I would need another part-time job, but that exacerbates the whole sleep and who's-taking-care-of-the-baby scenario. Maybe I should just find a rich woman.

So really, I don't know when I'll have kids. Certainly, it's not right now.

What People Learn From Video Games

Links here and here.

Actually, these incidents don't go into detail and actually say the idea was from a video game, but this strategy has been in the Metal Gear series since its inception in 1987. The scenario is that you hide yourself in a cardboard box in the back of a particular truck, and said truck goes into a base where you sneak around all stealthy. The incidents above are the same, just in reverse order.

I had a discussion with a coworker last night regarding video games. She doesn't like them at all because, as she says, people simply spend too much time playing them, and should instead do something active or productive. I argued that most anybody could serve to be more active than they are, and that video games didn't cause any laziness, rather, that lazy people would simply keep playing instead of doing other things. She didn't like that, as her son was level 80 on World of Warcraft (after learning of this, she made him sell the account. He got about $1,000 for it, too).

The discussion continued in a strange direction, as she was absolutely convinced that video games are addictive, a quality that other entertainment doesn't have. She was going on about it like it was an epidemic of massive proportions, and that today's technology made certain tasks too easy, so that kids today didn't value being active and play sports (my jock of a little brother would like to say otherwise). I told her that many lifestyles include video games in them that are very active. Hell, many NFL players play the latest Madden when they are on the road between games. Everyone that can be called a professional gamer in the US, one that goes to tournaments, someone in a league, that sort of thing, has an active lifestyle. The reason they do is because exercise and good diet increase reflexes and coordination, which are vital skills in a competition. And, of course, look at the Wii.

Looking at it in general, she's not totally out of line with her assessment. There are rare cases of addiction to video games, mostly in Asiatic countries. The games themselves are interactive and goal-oriented, so when a goal is completed, a sense of accomplishment arises in players. Couple this with an escapist scenario found in many games, and what you have is someone who is not in total control of their life, but in the game they are king. It really isn't hard to draw the conclusion that video games are not that good for you in this light.

All in all, though, if someone is passionate about video games, I find it hardly any different than if someone was passionate about any other pastime. What makes a sports nut or movie buff any different from a passionate gamer? The hobby of choice. It will take some time, but eventually, this hobby of choice will lack the stigma it has today. We will get over it.

Party Like It's 1998

My name is Swivl, and I approve of this article.

The number one item is definitely the best, and reminds me of how exciting gaming was in the past. Screw the nostalgia goggles, '98 had some classic games, ones that I still pick up and play every now and then. I guess I've been waiting for the new classics, and largely, they haven't been released yet.

So here is my personal list of what I believe will be the new classics. I will only talk about games I've played here, so no guessing (well, blind guessing). Plus, only games released in the last three years, as that is when this console generation started. So, here I go, let's see what I got.

Wii Sports. Love it or hate it, there are more copies of this game in the hands of people than any console game ever made, besting Super Mario Brothers earlier this year. And, with it's multiplayer focus, more people have played this game than most any video game ever (depends, do you count Minesweeper?). This is easily one that will be remembered in the years to come. Matter of fact, I should also put here Wii Play and Wii Fit, for the same reasons.

No More Heroes. This game has garnered cult following since its release. The people who play this one keep playing it and keep talking about it as though it were a masterpiece of a game. Truth is, it has its flaws, but most anybody who's a fan of the style is willing to overlook them for the sake of entertainment. Entertaining it is, fortunately, and its simple controls allow for frantic, arcade-style action; a natural and necessary quality for nearly all classic games. Awareness isn't all that high for this game, but a sequel is on the way, with a bigger marketing push that may place this one or the sequel into the limelight.

Resident Evil 4 Wii edition. Okay, I'm cheating on this one. The original release was last generation, so I already kind of know that this one will be remembered well. Anyway, this was a fantastic game when it was released, and the Wii version of the game perfected the formula. There's little argument that the best version is the Wii edition of the game. So well done was this one that the bar was set too high for Resident Evil 5, and disappointed many fans (as well as causing a lot of controversy, which I don't feel like talking about). Joining along Resident Evil 2 as a classic, it looks like the "evens" have it. Let's hope 6 can do it again.

That's all I got for now. I will come back to this topic a bit later. In the meantime, happy gaming!

Priorities

The past week has been rough on me. I've been sick, and more than that, I've had all kinds of places to be.

The game at home was played three times last week in succession. By the end of the third day, I was getting restless and annoyed. We need to slow the pace on that one, or it'll irritate me to no end. Don't get me wrong, I like the game, but it takes a lot out of me, and I lose focus. I simply start thinking of all the things I'd rather be doing than sitting right there running the game.

I mentioned the retirement party and repair job in a previous post, and that was going on at the beginning of my work week. I did get to sleep every night, but it didn't feel at all rejuvenating. Sleep, but no rest, and there's no rest for the weary.

You know how when you play The Sims, and there's this queue up at the top of the screen for each sim? It's like a little order of operations, really. I think we all have one of these, and lately it's felt like my queue is never empty.

At work tonight, I'll ask my direct about my 2 days left of vacation, see if I can't take a short break.

So My Work Day Started Off With a Man Hitting On Me...

Work was actually fun last night. Good thing, too, because I needed that sort of entertainment to keep me awake. I was up for more than 29 hours before I got any sleep at all. You know, these things happen when you work the grave shift. But you know, instead of giving you a play-by-play, I'd rather just give out some highlights.

The cage I was switched to was with friends. It's a rare thing for a cage to be all guys, and it turns out to be pretty entertaining when it happens. Our supervisor wasn't even around most of the night; I suspect that it was because of our collective silliness that she wouldn't stay at her post.

The first guest I helped was a man who was eyeing me. It was obvious what his intentions were with his "What's uuuup?" and half-smile. This has never bothered me; in fact, in a cage with guys, it made for some good jokes. As an aside, it must be much easier to tell what a guy is thinking, because I notice when a guy is flirting much easier than when a woman does. Maybe they're more forward, or maybe I just bring it out of gay guys. Whatever it is, it's not that uncommon for a guy to hit on me. Sorry, guys, that's just not me.

I had a computer fix job yesterday. This one was a doozy; a coworker of mine got this computer a month ago, and it wouldn't start up completely anymore. It would give a prompt for safe mode et al, and when any option was selected, it would show the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH (there's that "of death" again) for less than a second, then reboot in an endless loop. After fixing this, what I saw when I started up was not surprising: Limewire. While this program itself wouldn't cause any errors in the MBR (from what I know), I knew then that I had to kill some viruses.

So first things first, I got rid of Limewire and Norton (which can be a post on its own how much trash this is. Incidentally, I noticed that Norton comes preloaded in lots of computers nowadays. You know what they call a software company which can't sell their product to regular people? Microsoft), and set it up with some AVG action to get things moving. After about two and a half hours, the regular scan finished. The result: 915 trojans! Let me spell that out: nine hundred and fifteen trojan viruses! And these are the ones that were found and rid of; the second time through, the slow scan, showed a couple more whitelisted viruses.

The family I helped was very generous. They bought me food and paid me thirty dollars at their insistence. Then, they proceeded to tell me to charge more the next time they need me so that they don't make the same mistakes, and be more careful with how they handle their computer.

One of the cashiers is retiring on Sunday, and yesterday we had a retirement/birthday party for her at a mexican restaurant. Lots of people showed up, but just as many made bad excuses for not being there ("I'm doing laundry." Really? That's nice, Pat's retiring.). It was fun there, too, though I didn't have anything to eat (see computer job above), just a margarita. You know, it might not be a bad idea, but before work, by about an hour or two, have a margarita. It just might save your sanity in case you have bad company at work that day (I, by job description, am always in bad company. I have gambling addicts to handle). I guess what I want the message to be there is to not take so many small things seriously, not to become an alcoholic.

I need to work on my message.

If I Had One Super Power...

I have very nerdy friends (this should surprise nobody). It stands to reason, then, that some nerdy discussions are taken somewhat seriously. The usual question, the hypothetical where if somebody had one superpower, what would that power be, has made my friends face-palm. Apparently, I have this tendency to not take advantage of a situation and get the most power out of it. Actually, in a lot of cases, I know that I do this. This is entirely intentional; I'm not interested in simply having power, and a lot of the typical powers seem to have lost their flavor with me. I need something interesting, with unconventional uses and unique potential, even if I don't end up at all powerful.

Which is why I've come up with this power a while back. If I had one super power, it would be to instigate, inspire, and lead people into bollywood-style song-and-dance numbers. Of course, it doesn't need to be bollywood. It could be any song. A more famous example of this is the T-Mobile commercial that reached millions. Why this, though, when anything at all could be possible?

A few reasons come to mind. First, it's awesome. Second, I have a background being a performer, and remembering how much fun that was makes me believe the power of performance would be super fun. Third, it's one of the few powers that wouldn't obviously be a power, and in a world without them, that's a vital attribute. Fourth, it can get you out of trouble. Fifth, it's an interesting power that needs to be used creatively for its greatest effect.

So tell me, what do you think? What power would you have? Leave a comment, and if you're not registered, please sign up and tell me what you think.

In the Hot Seat

The other night I played the Game Master at game night. We played on for about 9 hours this time (one of the player's worked the night before, and was tired). We got through about 2/5 of the way to the end of the first book of six. It's been a long while since I had taken the seat as the MC, as it were. Perhaps it was too long.

The game itself went well, although a little rocky at the end, when the players had to recognize what the Non-player characters (NPCs) had thought about them. There are egos at the table, and discussion can get a little heated, even if entirely fictional. Here is something obvious: anyone who creates has a bias toward their creation, and the players have a bias toward their characters. This is entirely natural; after all, if you don't look out for it, nobody else will. At any rate, it was a little difficult for their characters to be seen as second-class by anyone, yet they were. It was rockier than any battle they got themselves through, which says something about their proficiencies. What exacerbates this situation is that there is no civilization to speak of in this adventure path, save for the very NPCs they now must deal with.

I feel as though I need to get faster on my toes regarding NPC attitudes, so I can quickly think and make the decisions that they would make. This is a core competency that would serve me well leading these guys from here on.

And now for something completely different.

I mentioned before in this blog how I'm not a big fan of the game industry attitude. There is a huge sense of entitlement and a colossal arrogance running through the minds of executives and hardcore gamers alike. So here's the general premise for the industry right now: used game sales suck, and we need to either stop it, or we need to get a cut of the deal. Yup, I'm serious.

It should not surprise you, then, to know that I agree with the counterpoint; if the games were worth keeping, they wouldn't be resold. Furthermore, trying to weasel your way into their hands for good will only make people not buy your product in the first place. People don't want to be tricked into owning a game, they want to want to own the game. Playing games with your customers will lose said customers right quick. Nobody wants to be hassled like the industry wants to hassle their customers. Games are expensive already, and making things worse by taking a cut of used sales only increases the price of used games. Threatening specialty retailers like Gamestop to go download only is not really hurting Gamestop anyway; they'll just sell the prepaid online cards instead of your games, take up less shelf space, and get the same profit margin they had before. On top of that, you're losing sales from people who want a physical media copy of your game. There's no winning against what the people demand from your business, just ask the RIAA how they did when they went against what the people wanted. The music industry was dragged kicking and screaming into digital distribution, because that's what people decided that they want for their music.

If the people decide that your brand of gaming is worthless, you must accept that.

Keep Up That Clicking

I don't play too many games on my PC. What I mean to say is, I don't play too many PC games. The occasional game here and there will get my attention, but otherwise, I stay to my consoles. But lately, the old PC has been getting more than its usual share of attention when it comes to the games. Not for new games, mind you, as who has the patience for that anymore (warning: language for the link). No, I'm referring to games I already have, but forgot to get the most enjoyment out of them the first time.

Games like Diablo 2 and Guild Wars. Now, these games weren't made by the same company, but a lot of the same people ended up on both of these projects (after a massive exodus from Blizzard, but before the latest exodus when they were bought by Activision). Now, I've played these games a lot already, but it seems as though I just hadn't had enough of them, because I'm back, clicking away at odd shocks of free time. You know, like this blog.

Either way, the people who made these games know something of how to keep someone playing, because there are plenty of people online playing these games. It is really easy to get a team of four together in either of these games, for example. I even have a couple of coworkers who play some of the time, too. And before you ask, yes, there are nerdy cashiers aside from me. In fact, out of the 4 male cashiers on grave shift, only 1 of them doesn't have a nerdy tattoo. Also, before you ask, yes, we are greatly outnumbered by the women in the department. All I have to say about that is, hey, at least I'm not the one male beverage server in the whole casino.

Anyway, in celebration of the increase in mouse-clicks, here are some clickables.

Whalias

Tim Curry in The Worst Witch

Penny Arcade

Metroid Metal

Automatic Mario World Madness

Jon Lajoie on Youtube

Enjoy!

Face Deep into the Palm

Everyone has the same bad joke for people who are working. This, of course, depends on the job someone is doing, but it seems most people have the same awkward sense of humor for strangers. Sometimes, however, one person will go the extra mile.

I was making change for this lady that started off with the usual dialogue:

"How would you like your $90?"

"Hundreds... hehe."

*Dead silent glare*

"I'd like fives."

The "Hundreds" reply is everyone's bad joke for cashiers. When you're the pizza guy, it's, "Over here, buddy." Ugh, I may not know who I deliver to, but I know where they are, and that's not where you're standing, ass.

Anyway, I give her the money (in fives, of course), and then she says something I swear I thought was a joke at first.

"That counting was really good. You should get a job that works with a lot of money."

What could I do; I cringed.

"Noone's ever said that to you?!"

"Nope."

"Huh."

See, that could have been taken as an insult to the job, but that's not how she meant it. It couldn't have been, after all, what job could she be referring to? Some work days I handle more than a million dollars, as in the bills go through my hands. No, that wasn't it at all.

Face-palm.

Big Red One

Link here.

I can't say that I've experienced the Xbox360 Red Ring of Death (ever notice how Microsoft's showstopping errors have the words "of death" in them), although as mused in the article, I probably don't play it enough to cause the error anyway.

Anyway, 54% is far beyond acceptable for a rate of failure. School children would get and F for failure, so what sort of standard should we hold for a corporation full of adults working as a team?

Also, I figured Sony's rate of failure would have been lower than 10% after their experience with the PS2's high rate of failure as well. I did expect Nintendo to be close to that coveted Sigma 6, as ever since NES model 2, they've had around that rate. After all, my Virtual Boy still works, and only a few hundred thousand of those were sold in America.

Work Rant Time

Some silly and petty items came from the work this week. First up, the ticket software was updated for the whole casino. So while that was going on, no tickets were redeemable for 10 hours. Not that fun, as I wasn't sure if any of the 300+ tickets I took on Monday were any good. It would have been bad news for me to hear that a ticket I took was a duplicate from a machine error and now I owed the casino 250 bucks.

Second, the credit card system was also updated the night after. Trouble is, this also went down, but we had no warning that is would be down when it was. I was actually in the middle of a cash advance transaction and it never printed before we lost connection to the server. Okay, don't panic, we have a backup server for these things. And, as it turned out, that was down, too. So, I had to tell this lady that not only can we not get her money, we don't know if she was charged for it or not. She had to wait for more than 30 minutes to get her cash. She went on about how unbelievable this place is, what kind of service is this, and I don't exactly blame her. So, when it came up, everything seemed okay. But when I closed...

Well, she was charged twice. We had to file an exception, with a memo, with the company the ATMs and cage retrieval systems belong to so that extra charge can be removed. What made that paperwork especially long, however, is the additional effect the server connection loss had on the checks: duplicate numbers. On four of my checks, and who knows how many others for other cashiers, there were different checks with identical numbers. That's just great. In the meantime I hope we don't get an angry customer blaming us for her high credit card bill.

Lastly, as in last night, I dealt with the particularly bossy bosses. My cage supervisor was the same one I never get along with. She lectures everyone regarding how exactly to do their job, because it's the rules (it's not the rules, just her rules). In one night, she told me what kind of paper to print my reports on (legal), and why (to see numbers that are incomplete anyway), where exactly to place my chips in my own bank (my bank is temporary), and why (for people that aren't at work right now), that I need paperwork for every in-cage transaction (even if all I'm doing is handing out a verified strap of 1s for a 100 dollar bill), and why (if someone's not balancing, someone is liable), and that I need my cage tracker program up before I open my window (when I actually don't), and why (when the reason makes no sense, and also is not in any guideline at all).

The other boss that was a prickly one was the vault supervisor. She decided to do every vault transaction by herself, leaving the vault clerks to add up some money and twiddle their thumbs, at the same time making everyone who needs something of a transaction decades behind schedule. My relief was the new guy (who she had a field day with), he ended up miscalculating one of his totals, and needed to start from scratch after 30 minutes of waiting at the vault for money. This made the bank-in for the day shift late, which made my closing time late, as I was the only window open in the main cage.

When I finally closed, I called the vault and asked which window to send my transactions (new procedure, made necessary by poorly designed software). After getting everything ready, I head to the vault and wait my turn. And wait my turn. Mind you, this is getting pretty early in the morning, so I'm sleepy and just leaning on my cart. I have 2 transactions, and I gotta wait for them. After another 30 minutes, it turns out my second transaction needed to be sent to a different window. So, I get back in the program, clear out the second transaction, post it again under a new window (VERY poorly designed program), get back to the vault, collect my money, sign bunches of papers (seeing as now they come in bunches), and get ready to go home. I'm thinking all this time that she simply couldn't tell me beforehand to send it to a different window, when she had all the information she needed to tell me.

But seriously, that new program must be first-year-student-of-software-design quality. It makes more machine logic sense than person logic sense, which means it's a pain in the ass to use. It doesn't matter if I get (which, eh, I do), everyone needs to get it, and not everyone is computer savvy. But it's more than just understanding it, as it is required to fill the needs of everyone who uses it. I'd say it's pretty bare bones in that respect. Out of all the ones to get, my bosses opted for the cheapest. Not a bad idea in most cases, but when it comes to computer programs, and indeed computer hardware, often times, what you pay for is what you get.

No Respect At All

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/pre-owned-sales-have-no-benefit-to-publishers-livingstone

At first glance, this might seem a reasonable argument. But then, after taking it in I realize: he already got his money for the game once. If that customer didn't keep the game, that is not the customer's fault. He decided that he was done with it, and wouldn't ever like to play it again. Do you ever hear of furniture people going around yard sales and demanding a piece of the pie? Of course not, that would be silly. In a normal world, it is greedy and disrespectful. So why is this guy reasonable?

Unfortunately, he is not alone in this sentiment. I've seen numerous quotes much like this from many big 3rd party publishing companies.

I'd put in more, but that'd just be a rant, and I need to get to work.

Symbolism

I can't call myself religious, yet a quality that religions of all kinds exhibit I find myself drawn to. The symbols and what they represent are fascinating to me. Almost like learning a language, interpreting these symbols are an interest of mine.

I have 2 tattoos. Both are symbolic. In fact, both have modified religious symbols in them. Just a glance at them is usually not enough. To even begin to know their meaning, most people need to ask for help. I use symbols from things that I know, and form them into a combination that's relevant to me. This has been my process for both, and I'm drafting a third. Anyway, this is not the main point.

There are many sources for symbols, for their purpose and origin, most of which are old. These sources shed light on older values from previous cultures; this enthralls me as well. One of my favorite books in junior high was beowulf, mostly because it taught me what some of the values they held for men during that time were.

In summary, I would have to say, that aside from games and entertainment as a passionate study, another, perhaps equally passionate study of mine, is historic culture and language.

PS3 slims up

Sony, in an effort to keep their Playstation business alive and momentum and interest in their products, has cut the price and announced a slim version of the PS3. Not a moment too soon, either, as Sony being in dead last has hurt their profitability quite a bit. Now, 23 million units worldwide in 3 years is by no means bad, just not what Sony is used to, and because of that assumption of domination, their money is all screwy. By comparison, the XBOX 360 is at 31 million in 4 years, and the Wii is at 52 million in 3 years. What happened during this time? Lots.

I'm not really sure where to begin when it comes to a game industry discussion, but one way to start is with a few facts. First, the PS3 price has been reduced several times since its introduction, to half its original price as of next month. Second, several models have been discontinued in favor of newer models already, the slim version being the most drastic aesthetically, each one compromising the original design and taking a feature or two off to save money. Third, even the ambitious launch PS3 didn't have all the features and hardware that the original design had, so a change in direction had to have been clear late in development, if, certainly, not now. Finally, the Playstation division of Sony has eaten all of its profits from the first two Playstations, which were very successful machines, and then some more on top of that because of all the funny business that is the PS3.

The slim PS3 is more for Sony than it is for consumers. It cuts costs for them in terms of manufacturing and shipping and whatnot. Smaller die chips, cooler machine, smaller case, quieter fans, all sorts of stacking benefits like that. Don't get me wrong, ordinary people can benefit, too (says the guy who doesn't keep his 360 in his room because it's too loud), but largely, it's a positive cost-cutting measure for Sony.

The price cut will drive growth in the short term, catching all those people who were holding out on a price cut, or simply didn't believe the PS3 was worth 400 bucks, but afterwards, momentum will slow down again as far as I see. The reason #1 I believe this is the games. Not exactly the games themselves, more like the overall selection of games. The appeal is not quite there outside of the core audience. Look at the upcoming titles, and you might see what I mean.

I don't mean to be sour, here to bash on Sony when they're down. I'd rather see the company succeed, but the current plan and strategy doesn't seem to fit what interactive entertainment needs right now. The values they carry are the same ones from back then, what, 15 years ago. The game has changed since then, and they need to adapt with the times. From someone who loves games, I can't wait 'till the future Sony arrives.

Anime

I watch all kinds of anime. There's the stuff that's new, and has a new episode each week, and there's also the stuff I missed the first time and watch what feels like in bulk. Marathons of giant weaponry, spiky hair, slapstick sugar-rush comedy, way too many characters with foreign names, voice actors screaming into their mics, its a wonder how anyone keeps this stuff straight. In fact, often times my roommate will pause the anime and turn to me with a question. Frequently, this question is, "Who's that again?"

Currently, the shows I watch most are One Piece, Bleach, and Katekyo Hitman REBORN. I just finished Sumomomo Momomo and Golden Boy. I'd have to say, though, that my favorites that I can go back to and watch over and over are Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. They're each about 26 episodes, so they don't overstay their welcome, and keep things moving and entertaining the whole way through. The US might consider these shows miniseries in a way, because taking away credits and recaps, they're all around 10 hours apiece. One Piece, however, I've seen from the beginning, and now that show is on episode 413 this week.

With all this exposure to the japanese language, any would figure that I might learn a few things. Well, sadly, I haven't learned much in the way of language, but culture has been easier to pick up. How to address someone, for example. The blessing before the meal, where your shoes go when you enter a house, where to sit in a room or train, how to excuse yourself, are all examples of things cartoons can teach you.

It's sleepy time now.

Money Stress

Probably the biggest source of stress for my daily life stems from worries about money. I get by with the money that I make, but I'm not sure how. Mathematically, it doesn't work. My bills are just too much, yet I've paid them up to now.

Not helping matters at all, I have a roommate who can afford to pay more for whatever. This month we have a 300 dollar electric bill. I went crazy when I first saw that, but it barely fazed him. When we first moved in, he needed the silver package cable TV, when I didn't need that at all, just internet. When I can watch all of any shows I want to watch using only internet, TV is just added cost for me. When I don't need the air conditioner on at 3am, it's added cost for me when it is. I take several cost-saving measures for myself, only to look cheap in front of him. It's a simple cost for me there, though; no decision to make, as I simply don't have the money.

You'd figure maybe minimum wage would be about the level where you had to live a low-class life, for American standards. If I still made minimum wage, I wouldn't be living here, rather, I'd still be living with my mom. Looking back further, before I was born, there were families where one guy could provide for his whole family with a regular job. Now, you won't see that unless that guy is fairly well-off.

I can see how most anybody can be caught off-guard by high rate credit cards and hidden costs and medical bills and all these things. I've lived those experiences myself, and I'm usually careful about how my money is spent. Now especially, I have to be disciplined to make ends meet. One care-free weekend takes a lot of care to establish. No wonder I stress so much.

RP Today

One of my hobbies is role-playing. We get they guys together once or twice a week and play our turn-based team strategy social game for hours on end. Every once in a while, we get long sessions. Tonight will be one of those sessions. We will be sitting at the table for 12+ hours slaying demons, negotiating our way into a masked ballroom party, and losing our way in a towering megalopolis among the many other situations we find ourselves in. Yeah, we're pretty into it.

To help illustrate the material we work with for these games let me give a number: 300. This is about the number of sourcebooks we use for our games. Not all at once, mind you, we have our limits (in this case, the brain).

Our game of choice is actually a hybrid. We play Dungeons & Dragons 3.5/Pathfinder with house rules. How do you play more than one game? These two are not identical after all. That's because what they are is close enough for conversion on the fly. To be up to speed on everything is also a team effort, however.

Thinking about it, learning rules for a new tabletop RPG after you've already learned one becomes fairly easy. I've learned more than a few systems, and I have one of my own. People tell me that's how programming languages are, and I can only hope they're right.

Comcast sucks

Today is a common day. Today is a day with a few intermittent issues keeping an internet connection. As I write this post, the connection is down. I get to post as soon as I get back online. But this struggle is as sure and common as death, taxes, and piracy.

I can't place the blame entirely on Comcast, though they've not been much help. When the guy came over to replace the modem, everything was better than ever, at speeds I would gladly pay the Comcast Premium® for. As soon as he left, it was back to normal let's-torture-Brian-because-it's-funny-and-everyone-else-is-doing-it speeds. ¿Que paso? Where did all those bits go? Why is it that when I do get a connection, it's DSL speed, and sometimes, I get nothing?

Well, finally I'm getting a good picture of why this situation is as it is. Some of the time, the DNS is down somehow. Other times, well, I just don't know for sure. I know the wiring in the apartment is shoddy and cheap; that could be significant. Fact is, that in the time I typed this out, my connection has been up and down twice.

Smells Like Cinammon Crotch In Here

If you're like me and you have a sensitive sense of smell, you probably wouldn't like my job. It so happens that at a casino, nearly nobody makes the time to bathe. B.O. is rampant, plus there are a special few with, well, unique aromas. Powerful odors emanate from most customers be it body odor, cologne covering up body odor, and roulette. Oh, let's not forget about the smoke.

The only establishments in the state that allow smoking indoors nowadays has to be casinos, and these customers take advantage of this fact I just made up by smoking vigorously.

There's no consideration for anyone's health here, smoking or not. Blown smoke through the windows, coughing, spitting, pulling money out from inside a bra, finding money covered in fluids/blood/toilet water, I've seen all of this happen to me. And, they have the cajones to smell awful, too? Ugh, bad day at work I guess.

I Can't Call Myself a Gamer

There, I said it. I just can't do it, after all that's happened in the past few years. Before, calling yourself a gamer carried a stigma I was okay with, even if it was untrue. You know, the nerdy, lack-of-social-skills kid with Power Ranger underwear. Now, whew, now is much worse, if you pay any kind of attention to what these guys are saying. These self-important, bull-headed, argumentative, testosterone-driven assholes are nothing like me (thankfully). I will call these guys hardcore. Okay, there are plenty of good ones, but they're not nearly as loud as the ones demanding attention and respect for the biggest entertainment industry in the world. There is plenty more to this, though.

The only reason that video games are any bigger than movies or music is revenue. There's simply more money flowing through the industry. This is not because of the number of people who play video games compares at all to even people who read books. About 40% of US households even own a console, while anyone can tell you that nearly everyone, if not everyone, has a DVD player. Despite this, hardcore demand recognition as a mainstream media, to have truly arrived, when, despite recent efforts of Nintendo and other companies, it just hasn't happened yet. Making things worse is the usual reaction to things that sell well that hardcore don't like. It will be something along the lines of the game is too casual, a fad, simple, or the worst offense, not a game. Why would anyone celebrate the mainstream, diverse media industry in one breath while hate anything not directly aimed at pleasing them in another?

I don't demand any respect for games, or the games industry; I would much rather let games stand on their own merits. After all, there is plenty to like about games, as long as you use them to enjoy yourself.

Prototyping

I've done lots of prototyping for a classic pen and paper role-playing game for years now. Lots of ideas were tried, some very radical, but now I feel I have a good sense of where this game can go. Looking at the shelves of hobby shops, studying the games already there and on their way, I've done lots of research. It's about time to start getting the content together.

I suppose one way to get things moving is to get more in on the project. There aren't too many people I know that are interested in design, though. Most of my friends that are interested in what I do are more suited for development than ground-level design. Perhaps I simply need to crack down and write it all out myself; not out of the question, I got this far on my own, but I see myself making my goals more years from now with this method. So far what I've done is take something that's bugging me, and fix it in a week. Baby steps.

Compounding this is what little free time I have I need for my many interests, hobbies, and chores. It's much easier to take out the trash and talk to friends than write out power balancing formulas and conditional modifiers. I have a friend who's really worried about my happiness, so much so that every time I see her she asks me if I have a girlfriend, and if not, what I'm doing about it. That subject is for a whole new post.

Overall, I'm happy with what I have done, but realize that what's there is only the skeleton. Satoru Iwata once said at a game developer's conference, "...making things easier for players, makes things harder for developers." Since doing this self-education on game design, I couldn't agree more.

Lack of Energy

It seems to me a rare occurrence to have an average level of vitality. Sure, sometimes I have plenty, like at a concert, but largely, my days seem to drag on with needing to catch my breath after a brisk walk upstairs. It's certainly not age, as I'm not close to old enough, plus even younger days were similarly, yet less so, effected. I'm heavier than I was a few years ago, maybe a bit overweight, but certainly not fat. So far, it's been a mystery as to any cause.

My roommate and close friends recommend I see a doctor. I believe this is a good idea, though with my recent experience, I wonder about the efficacy of this move. Aside from the dentist, every doctor visit this year and last was wasted money. Clearly I need a new doctor. Along with that, a physical, the works, as I haven't had anything of the sort in at least seven years.

Looking online has brought on some funny remarks with serious undertones. I didn't do this myself, rather my roommate has. He had said many things before, but most recently, he told me it was Ondine's Curse. Nevermind the rarity of such a disease, in all likelihood, I'd already be dead. Plus, it's almost always genetic. There's noone who's ever mentioned any hereditary disease like this one. I give him credit, though, as he's lived with me for nearly three years; and if anyone is aware of any conditions I might have, he's it. So I take his underlying message with me, and get ready to see a new doctor very soon.

Here I Am

Considering that I have a massive dislike of social networking apps, it's a wonder what it is I am doing writing this. Well, to be honest, I want to keep up with my close family and friends. My cavaets with MySpace and Facebook and their ilk come from the extended social circle I really don't care for. I send text messages, but even that can only go so far with what I want to communicate. So, here I am, in case anyone wants to see me. I'll just be mumbling to myself in the meantime.

To help find a place for thoughts before they leave me, that sounds about right.