Tales of a Scorched Earth » the cultural gutter

The Long Road Back to Gaming

Andrew S. — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:00:44 +0000

For the last nine months, I have considered myself a non-gamer. Not a reformed gamer, mind you, but someone who just hasn’t had the time to dedicate to playing games or keeping up with the industry. Once again I felt forced to contemplate my new lifestyle and how I could somehow re-insert my beloved hobby into a busy schedule. A good friend and I started talking about how this was possible now that we were parents. Eventually the topic of World of Warcraft came up. When I quit last year, I thought it was for good. I stopped writing because of that game, as I was too preoccupied with spending Talent points and obsessively trying to keep up with guild mates. It wasn’t healthy. And yet there was still something strangely appealing about the thought of playing again, in the context of a social activity for two new dads struggling to find ways to grasp hold of a hobby that would have otherwise slipped away. What better way to get back into gaming than playing something we already knew? My latest article at the Cultural Gutter describes the reactivation of my World of Warcraft account with a friend and fellow gamer, and how at this point in our lives, this really is the game for us.

Gaming in a World of Grown-Ups

Andrew S. — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:00:14 +0000

Essentially resigned to the fact that I have no time to play games after hours, I’ve resorted to thinking about gaming at work. Sure, I tried to install Diablo II on my work laptop, but when my office has no walls it’s a little tough to be discreet. I got a used Treo 650 a few months ago, and decided to see how it stacks up as a gaming platform. The best part about covert gaming with the Treo is that it easily carries over into day to day activities. A middle-aged man riding the subway that pulls out a PSP or a DS would certainly be labeled a man-child. But what if he unholstered his Palm Pilot? He’s now a busy guy checking his stocks or furiously typing an email to close some inconsequential business deal. Or blowing shit up in Hellfire: Apache vs. Hind. You never can tell. In this month’s Cultural Gutter article, I explain how getting a gaming fix during business hours isn’t as hard as it used to be.

Another Easy Sell For Apple

Andrew S. — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:03:31 +0000

The extent of my gaming lately has been on my brand new, 5.5th generation 80 GB iPod. Despite its initial appearance as an unnecessary gimmick (as if Apple needs any help selling iPods), there are some surprisingly playable games available that aren’t named Pac-Man. In this month’s Cultural Gutter article, I take a look at a few.

But Will Your Parents Play?

Andrew S. — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 22:29:33 +0000

Having been out of the gaming loop since say, October, I was fascinated by a conversation I had with my Aunt and Uncle at a recent holiday gathering, where they recounted their experiences with Nintendo’s Wii. I just had to write about it. My latest article at The Cultural Gutter explains how Nintendo is changing the face of gaming.

Everybody Dies

Andrew S. — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 18:03:19 +0000

Another extended absence, another post somewhere else. I’ve done next to no gaming in the last two months, but I made time for Introversion’s DEFCON: Everybody Dies for nostalgia’s sake. See, WarGames is probably the only movie that got computers right in making them incredibly cumbersome and boring. There are no 3D interfaces or flashy animations when you check your email. Well, unless you’re using a Mac and have no attention span. I was suprised by DEFCON, but not because the game was actually good compared to Darwinia. It’s a game that asks some important questions of the player, and does a chillingly effective job of simulating modern warfare compared with any low-level first person shooter. My article at The Cultural Gutter explains.

Keep Playing, It Might Get Better

Andrew S. — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 03:31:04 +0000

I often questioned my motivations for making my way through the entirety of Prey. I knew it was awful the moment I stepped through the asshole – so why did I keep playing? Was it to write a complete and fair review? Was it because I had been waiting along with everyone else for the last eleven years? Motivations for playing a game can vary from genuine interest to just wanting to kill some time. But what about playing a bad game? Is that reserved for the masochist, the same person who spends time reading bad weblogs? My latest article at the Cultural Gutter tries to explain.

Click. Kill. Reward.

Andrew S. — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

I love (love?) Titan Quest. I am still playing Titan Quest. While the quests are not randomized and the areas not re-constructed between playthroughs like Diablo II, I still gain enjoyment from the basest desire to collect a coordinated set of gear and a weapon that does massive amounts of damage. This bait to keep playing is also what drives every single MMORPG. It’s a predictable, well-worn formula that has remained the same since the days of Rogue and Nethack. Why does it still work? This month’s article at The Cultural Gutter assesses this unhealthy fascination with clicking a mouse.

What Happened to the Arcade?

Andrew S. — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 22:44:03 +0000

After exploring the relationships formed by console gaming, I thought about the place of the arcade in the evolution of the bonds shared by gamers. The friendly competition established by beating a high score in Galaga or mastering the moves of Street Fighter II seem like such simple pursuits when compared to the complexity of multiplayer gaming today. The Internet, voice chat and anonymous challenges have supplanted the community building that took place inside the local arcade. While a form of this pastime may have made its way onto home consoles, it’s hard not to lament the loss of these hallowed dens of gaming. This month’s article at the Cultural Gutter tries to figure out what happened to the arcade.

revisionist fantasy

Andrew S. — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:29:42 +0000

With the success of Grand Theft Auto III and its many skins, or more recently the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you’d almost get the impression that more open-ended gameplay is a requirement to be worthy of critical acclaim. In a completely original setting, this is easily accomplished. But what about movie or book adaptations? Is a move towards player freedom a necessity in these games that are heavily dependent on narrative that has likely already been experienced by the player? How can a movie adaptation be made so that it isn’t simply a passive experience hampered by the constraints of a story, and actually empowers the player? In this month’s article at the Cultural Gutter, I delve into this matter with a certain game in mind.

the not-so casual gamer

Andrew S. — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:12:50 +0000

What is a casual gamer? It’s a term that gets used a lot more lately, as a larger audience is introduced to the world of games. It’s also become a very lucrative demographic, because console manufacturers and game publishers aren’t interested in selling their product to existing customers. They are in the business of making money, after all. And that includes reaching a wider audience. As games become more accessible, the definition has been muddied somewhat. Is a casual gamer someone who is content to play solitaire on a Windows 95 desktop? Or Diner Dash for days on end? What about sports gamers, who ground themselves in some form of reality instead of the blood and guts escapism of first person shooters? What about players of flight simulators?

In this month’s article at The Cultural Gutter, I examine that the casual player of flight simulators may not be so casual after all.