tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31080108575746341552024-03-13T10:37:21.407-05:00It's Just a GameEnjoy Your Game. Enjoy Your Life.RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-20102086439935035102013-04-11T11:31:00.001-05:002013-04-11T11:31:39.619-05:00Hold my Hand? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hand holding brings comfort and guidance into our lives and experiences.<br />
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Hand holding; it's generally a desirable thing right? Everyone likes hand holding. Unless you're some kind of macho bro who doesn't know what feelings are (c'mon even <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_phoBwfx95U">Marcus Fenix</a> won't resist a good hand hold).<br />
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But what about hand holding in video games? Booooo! Right? That's something that most people don't like or are at least a little conflicted on.<br />
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Hand holding in games is essentially the game giving you a hand. It is some game mechanic or aspect that makes the game a little easier for you or failure less punishing.<br />
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Hand holding can lessen the challenge that the game presents. And often the challenge is the most important aspect of the gameplay. A game can't be too hard nor too easy. Game designers constantly try and hit the sweet spot of difficulty.<br />
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Many 'hardcore' gamers lament hand holding that has become much more common in modern games. Early video games were brutal affairs full of challenge without any assistance from the game in sight. <br />
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This is in stark contrast to many modern games that give you an endless number of retries often without any consequence. Bosses will feature giant glowing parts that are practically screaming 'SHOOT HERE' and if you can't figure out what to do after a while an in game character or an on screen prompt will tell you how to succeed.<br />
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These are things that are common in games these days that can be considered examples of hand holding.<br />
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Is it a good thing?<br />
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It depends. It depends on what you're playing for.<br />
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A while back I picked up Star Wars: Bounty Hunter for the PS2. It came out in 2002. I had never played it before but had always wanted to. I wanted to learn more about <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jango_Fett">Jango Fett</a> and jet pack around blastin' people. Pew pew pew.<br />
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I was in it mostly for the story, but I was also really enjoying the gameplay. Up until I got stuck. Unlike most games nowadays you can't just keep restarting at a checkpoint until you prevail. In Bounty Hunter you got a set amout of retries before you had to start the whole level over again.<br />
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Some of those levels got HARD. These levels ended in me failing over and over again, and then loosing motivation to continue after being disheartened that I had to start the whole level over again.<br />
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I never beat Bounty Hunter.<br />
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To some that might have made the game more fun, more challenging.<br />
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To me it was frustrating. And we know that here at It's Just a Game we pride happiness and enjoyment out of our games over frustration and anger.<br />
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I wish Bounty Hunter had more hand holding. Easier levels, infinite retries. Those are modern hand holdy things that kept me from fully enjoying Bounty Hunter.<br />
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Hand holding keeps you from getting frustrated or mad at a game. Like real life hand holding video game hand holding can increase your happiness.<br />
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Hand holding shouldn't be dragging you along telling you what to do and how to do it. That's not fun hand holding. Nice hand holding is when the person holding your hand is right next to you. There for you when you need them, but not leading you along, yet also not falling behind.<br />
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How do you feel about hand holding in games?<br />
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Enjoy your game.<br />
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Enjoy your life.<br />
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RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-43746847499529727362012-03-02T15:09:00.000-06:002012-03-02T15:09:44.961-06:00I Ain't prouda what I done.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I love giving things a story. Whether I'm playing a board game like risk, or a video game. Yeah most games have a story already, but I like to come up with a story that drives the action especialy in multiplayer modes.<br />
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I give my on screen character a personality and motivations. It makes what's happening more interesting for me.<br />
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Maybe I'm weird. But I love using my imagination to make characters and stories come to life where they normally wouldn't.<br />
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I always <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/09/what-are-you-doing.html">remember what I'm doing.</a> And what I was doing just this morning was killing some banditos in Red Dead Redemption.<br />
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I've recently started playing Red Dead again and I love it, particularly the free roam mode in multiplayer where you can explore the world, clear out gang hideouts, and all that other stuff that comes with the wild west.<br />
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I had a bit of time to spare this morning so I popped in the game for a bit and it turned into a story that I felt like sharing. (I wish I had a capture card so I could show you this story as well as tell it.)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I Ain't Prouda What I done</span> </b><br />
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Purdy.<br />
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The sky was painted glorious shades of pink as the sun rose over the Mexican desert that I found myself riding across. I pulled on the reins and brought my majestic black steed to a stop and shared the moment with her. She didn't say anything, but I suspected she was as impressed with the <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/beauty-of-sunset.html">beauty of the sunset</a> as I was.<br />
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It was hard to take my eyes off of it, but I had a job to do. There were some banditos that needed greasin'.<br />
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My feet spurred my horse back into motion and I put the sunset to my back as I raced towards destiny.<br />
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At a few hundred yards out I spotted Tesoro Azul: The Blue... Tesoro....<br />
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My feet hit the dirt with a thud as I hoped off my horse and unslung my sniper rifle.<br />
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"Get outta here Horsie," I said to my horse as it looked at me indifferently, though I knew deep down it was afraid for my life. "You don't wanna see this. Now git!"<br />
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My horse trotted off and I found some cover behind a rock and took in the situation.<br />
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Through my scope I could see three of the banditos were on the rooftops of some of the buildings in the small settlement. I could see a few of them abusing prostitues through the slats in the front gate.<br />
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<i>Those women deserved better. </i><br />
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I had to help them. My crosshairs found their mark on the bushy mustache of one of the gate's guards. I squeezed the trigger and turned his face into goop.<br />
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The whores ran for cover as the rest of the banditos focused their attention on me. My rock was immediately peppered with gunshots but I kept my aim true and eliminated all of the sombrero wearing enemies on the rooftops and those that were foolish enough to rush out the front gates.<br />
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Sniper rifle out of ammo, I pulled out my trusty Henry Repeater (don't ask where I keep it) and sprinted up to the front gates.<br />
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I peeked in and wiped the face off a particularly portly bandito with 'O'l Henry' and moved in for more cover.<br />
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Not long after I entered Tesoro Azul I was holed up in an abandoned chapel with a pile of bodies outside. From inside I could see the whores cowering for cover outside and thanks to my sixth sense, I somehow knew the location of all of the banditos still trying to flush me out.<br />
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<i>Fwoosh!</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
A bottle landed in the doorway of the chapel and exploded into flame. Fire licked up my pants and engulfed me entirely. I ran around the chapel screaming like a fool until the flames went out. Luckily for my I didn't suffer and lasting damage. Praise Jesus.<br />
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Another fire bottle crashed down outside and lit a prostitute on fire. I watched as she screamed and writhed until she finally fell over dead as the fire went out. Poor slut didn't have a chance.<br />
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It was time to end the bloodshed.<br />
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I climbed onto the roof of the chapel and swiftly put an end to the rest of the banditos.<br />
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It was over.<br />
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There were bodies everywhere.<br />
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I climbed down and walked through the small village and took in the carnage.<br />
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Flies swarmed the plethora of bodies as the surviving prostitutes stood looking, not knowing what to do. A few of them were crying.<br />
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One of the women told me to screw off, or maybe she thanked me for saving her. I don't remember. What matters is that I shoved her to the ground and started kicking her repeatedly. I let up my flurry of kicks and she got up to her feet.<br />
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Then I started kicking her again.<br />
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Then she got back up.<br />
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And I pushed her down again.<br />
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Growing tired of the repetition and feeling that she had learned her lesson, I pulled out a tomahawk and showed it too her. She wasn't impressed at all by it so I threw it in her face. The bitch.<br />
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The rest of them seemed to think I was some kind of monster as they looked on in horror.<br />
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<i>I'll show them what a monster is, those ungrateful bitches. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
I proceeded to murder every last one of the prostitutes I had only just saved. All but one.<br />
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One of the girls, a blond in a tight yellow underwear thingy survived my tomahawk and continued to limp around with the war hatchet's head buried deep in the back of her upper thigh.<br />
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She hobbled around and occasionally would stop to do a seductive pose. I had to give her credit, she was still trying to do her job, even though there was a tomahawk deep in her leg.<br />
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She wandered around the village for a while, leaving a trail of blood as she went. As I followed her I was pretty sure she was becoming delirious. She would run into walls and try and walk through solid objects with little success.<br />
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Eventually I put her out of her misery with a quick shot from my high powered pistol.<br />
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<i>What have I done!?</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
I <i>was</i> a monster! I had murdered those girls, made them suffer for my amusement!<br />
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I didn't deserve to live. The next life I took would be my own.<br />
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I then shot a bird.<br />
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Ok, <i>NOW </i> <i>the next life I take will be my own. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
I walked out of Tesoro Azul and whistled for my horse. Horsie trotted up, seemingly oblivious to my emotional crisis. I climbed on top into the saddle and took a look at my map.<br />
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There was a railroad bridge over the river not too far from where I was.<br />
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It would do.<br />
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After a short silent ride, Horsie and i arrived at the bridge. I climbed off and poured my guts out to Horsie.<br />
I told her the awful things I had done to those girls. I had to jump. I didn't deserve to see another sunrise.<br />
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I slowly walked out to the center of the bridge and stood at the edge. There were no railings or safety guards which would make this easier.<br />
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<i>Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip clop. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
I turned and saw Horsie coming over to me. "Go back Horsie!" I yelled at it as a tear formed in my eye (I only had one).<br />
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Even against my wishes Horsie came closer still until she was right next to me. Then she nudged me gently over the edge.<br />
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<i>You asshole!</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
That was my last thought as I plummeted towards the racing water, bouncing off one of the bridge supports as I fell.<br />
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The fall didn't kill me, but my deathly allergy to water did. I was dead the moment my face went beneath the surface.<br />
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THE END.<br />
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Well there you have it. All of that really happened this morning. My horse actually did push me off the bridge after I killed some of the whores at Tesoro Azul. I was quite amused.<br />
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I hope you enjoyed my story.<br />
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I hope you remember to use your imagination when playing games online.<br />
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Enjoy your game.<br />
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Enjoy your life.<br />
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Want to play Red Dead with me? Send me an email and we can set up a time to form a posse!<br />
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<br />
<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-72523203770465415472012-02-21T10:42:00.000-06:002012-02-21T10:42:21.092-06:00Why I like Dragon Age II more than Skyrim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.mixdl.com/uploads/posts/2011-11/1321223587_31042375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.mixdl.com/uploads/posts/2011-11/1321223587_31042375.jpg" width="200" /></a>I like Dragon Age 2 more than <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2012/02/enjoyment-guide-to-skyrim.html">Skyrim</a>. It has something that Skyrim doesn't. Something that makes all the difference in a role playing game. </div>
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<b>What is it? What makes Dragon Age 2 better than Skyrim? </b> </div>
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We'll get there soon enough, but first let’s start with some numbers shall we? People like numbers.</div>
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Skyrim is listed on <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim">Metacritic</a> as having a score of 96 out of 100 based on
critic reviews and an 8.4 based on user reviews. Overall outstanding scores for
a game. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dragon Age 2 in contrast scored a 79 out of 100 by critics
and only a mere 4.4 from users. I guess gamers didn't like it that much.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Skyrim boasts an outrageously expansive open world with
hundreds of hours of gameplay. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dragon Age 2 is crippled by copy paste environment design, a
restrictive, semi-open world, and has comparably less content. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110331163724/dragonage/images/thumb/5/51/Map_-_Kirkwall.png/650px-Map_-_Kirkwall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110331163724/dragonage/images/thumb/5/51/Map_-_Kirkwall.png/650px-Map_-_Kirkwall.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is Kirkwall Day and Kirkwall night; an excuse to reuse environments.... </td></tr>
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Skyrim puts the fate of the entire world in your hands,
tasking you with defeating the World Eater Dragon who is about to bring on the
world’s end. That’s a lot of responsibility. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dragon Age 2 conversely puts the fate of the city of
Kirkwall more or less in your hands. The stakes aren’t quite as high. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Skyrim lets you be whoever you want, be it orc, human,
argonian, etc. While Dragon Age 2 forces you to be a human, choosing one of
three classes; rogue, warrior, or mage. Skyrim doesn’t shoehorn you down such
restrictive playstyles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s an incredible potential for epic or hilarious things
to happen in the world of Skyrim, from unscripted dragon encounters to being
able to interact with (or assault) anyone in the game (excluding children). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nevermind the fact that you use the force to move objects.</span> </div>
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Dragon Age 2 has no unscripted dragons or silly inhabitants
you can easily mess with using the game’s physics engine. You can only attack
those the game designates as enemies as well. Most of the people in </div>
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Dragon Age
2 are just there for show, to make the world seem populated.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So why then, in light of all that, do I say I like Dragon
Age 2 better than Skyrim? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Am I just trying to troll you guys? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nope. I’m serious. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Skyrim is an awesome game. I had a crapton on fun playing
it. I liked it so much I even wrote a story of my life in Skyrim, and my moral decline, <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2012/01/moral-decline-of-erogu-leit-dragonborn.html">here</a>. Give that a read if you've got time. </div>
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Skyrim is definitely worthy of the praise that’s been given to it, but there’s
one big thing that leads me to prefer Dragon Age 2 over Skyrim. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Pacing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Just kidding. While Dragon Age 2 is a very kinetic and fast
paced game compared to Skyrim’s grudgingly slow pace that pervades almost all
of its aspects, this isn’t the game changer so to speak. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The one element that makes Dragon Age 2 shine for me that
Skyrim hardly has any hint of is emotion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Emotion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Dragon Age 2 has gallons of it. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Skyrim hardly has an eyedropper of it. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The most impactful and memorable game experiences come from
games that stir something inside you, make you feel more than just the
unexplainable craving for more XP. When games can make an emotional connection with you is when they've done their job right. Skyrim is an amazing game! But it lacks any emotional connections with the player! Dragon Age 2 felt like it was rushed, but it makes emotional connections in so many ways!</div>
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<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/12/remember-death.html">The Darkness</a> is one of my favorite games, not due to its gameplay, but because its story was
so wrought with emotion and feeling. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Who are you going to remember more fondly? Someone you shared an emotional connection with? Or someone you got drunk and had a good time with a few times? Memories of the latter will quickly fade. </div>
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What Bioware manages to do in Dragon Age 2 (and most of
their other games), despite the game’s technical shortcomings is tell a
compelling story that draws you in and really makes you care about the world
you’re exploring and care for the other characters in the game. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I played through Skyrim I couldn’t really care less
about the political scene or the civil war. It didn’t affect me. It never
affected me. I never chose sides or got involved. I just didn’t care. That
might have been different for you or your friends, but I really just couldn’t
be bothered to care about what was going on in the land of Skyrim other than
what would net me some more gold and some cool items. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On the other hand, Dragon Age 2 pulls you into the world’s
problems and makes them your own, makes you care about the turmoil happening in
the city of Kirkwall. I really cared about and was interested in what was going
on in Kirkwall in my time spent playing Dragon Age 2. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But the biggest thing for me was how much I grew to care for
the other Characters in Dragon Age 2. I cared (for the most part) about their
problems and troubles. I developed friendships and relationships with them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dragon Age 2 was the first game I had ever played that gave
me a family. And <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/in-game-family.html">I cared about that family</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was sad and angry when characters I grew to care about in
Dragon Age 2 died or left me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In Skyrim I only ever had two companions. Both of them ended
up dying while in my service. "Well shoot."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*poke poke* "Lydia?" Well, better take the good stuff she was carrying for me... </td></tr>
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I was only sad about it because they were
carrying all the stuff that I couldn’t fit in my inventory. That was the pinnacle of any
feelings I felt toward any of the characters in Skyrim. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Skyrim never makes you care about anything, or get involved
with any other characters in a meaningful way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The most emotion you’ll find in Skyrim is a few “Oh shit!”
moments now and then when a dragon snatches a mammoth or something startles
you. But a few "Oh Shit!" moments don't count as emotion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dragon Age 2 gave me a family, it gave me friends, and above
all it made me care about them like they were real people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you want to, you can think of Skyrim as being a one night stand type of experience. It's a lot of fun, but in the end there aren't any emotions involved and it's all about what's in it for you. It's not going to leave a lasting impression on you. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://c3404239.r39.cf0.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SkyrimVampireSex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://c3404239.r39.cf0.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SkyrimVampireSex.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, well that might leave an impression..... </td></tr>
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Dragon Age 2 is like being with someone you care about. You're going to make an emotional connection and care about more than just what's in it for you. </div>
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Ok that analogy was really weird...</div>
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Moving on.</div>
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So despite of all its criticisms I am a huge fan of Dragon
Age 2. Its capacity for stirring emotions in you and its storytelling are
what make it a game worth playing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you haven't played Dragon Age 2 yet it's worth your time, though I'd suggest playing the first in the series before trying DA2. </div>
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If you haven't already, I hope one day you'll be emotionally drawn into a game and find out what I'm talking about, and what makes a game truly memorable. </div>
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Also if you haven't played Skyrim yet, go play that too. It's pretty damn awesome. </div>
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Enjoy Dragon Age. </div>
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Enjoy Skyrim. </div>
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Enjoy your life. </div>
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Previous Post: <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2012/02/enjoyment-guide-to-skyrim.html">Enjoyment Guide to Skyrim</a> </div>
</div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-91368357086212750232012-02-08T16:26:00.000-06:002012-02-08T16:27:28.766-06:00Enjoyment Guide to Skyrim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last time I left you with the thrilling <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2012/01/moral-decline-of-erogu-leit-dragonborn.html">moral decline of the Dragonborn.</a> In it I chronicled the immoral slide I took while playing Skyrim. I hope you carve your own story out of the game too by <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/09/what-are-you-doing.html">remembering what you're doing</a> when you play Skyrim.<br />
<br />
Instead of telling you how I went from picking peoples pockets to chewing on their corpses, I'm going to outline ways for you to get the most out of Skyrim.<br />
<br />
Maybe you've played Skyrim more than anyone else on the planet, maybe you've never really been into games like Skyrim. You may be two hours in or 200. Doesn't matter. This <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/11/enjoyment-guide-to-gears-of-war-3.html">enjoyment guide</a> will hopefully help you get the best experience possible while playing Skyrim.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Choose Your Race Carefully</span> </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
When it came down to it for me, I made my choice of race mostly for aesthetic reasons. I chose an argonian because they look pretty awesome. Waterbreathing was a nice bonus.<br />
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<br />
Watch out though, I found playing as an argonian mildly immersion-breaking. First of all, argonians can breath under water, but your character still gasps for air after breaching the surface of the water.<br />
<br />
That didn't make sense to me.<br />
<br />
The other thing that I got over quickly but still found out of place was the Dragonborn's shouts. The voice for the shouts is the same no matter which race you choose, making it sound slightly out of place coming from an argonian or Khajiit.<br />
<br />
<br />
Pick a race you'll like being! Though you spend most of the game in the first person, appearance is a fun way to express yourself in Skyrim. You don't want to hate how you look!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Learn to Enjoy the Slow Pace</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
It's inevitable.<br />
<br />
You're going to spend a lot of your time in Skyrim walking from one place to another not doing much of anything. You have a lot of down time in Skyrim and it can feel like the game's pace has sludged to a crawl.<br />
<br />
There's not much you can do to avoid this except fast travel whenever you feel like it, but a better solution is to just accept it.<br />
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Learn to enjoy wandering Skyrim's lands. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the sky (especially at night, use your 'clear skies' shout for best results).<br />
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<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/beauty-of-sunset.html">Enjoy the beauty</a> you find in your travels in Skyrim.<br />
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Wandering around will also be the best way to find all the hidden gems Skyrim has to offer.<br />
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Fast travel when you just want to get on with your quest, but take the time to walk when you feel like taking in Skyrim's beauty and finding undiscovered gems.<br />
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Here's a <a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/guide-prettiest-locations-skyrim/">guide to finding the prettiest spots</a> from one of my favorite websites.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Role Play</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<i>It's an RPG, duh, I'm automatically role playing. Stupid blog writer...</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
What makes a game an RPG? <i>Hint: <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/every-game-is-rpg.html">Any game can be an RPG if you let it.</a></i><br />
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<b>Take on a role! </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>You're the Dragonborn!</b><br />
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You're not just some gamer sitting on his or her couch manipulating a character a game. You <i>are</i> the character in the game.<br />
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Don't keep your focus on earning XP the whole time. It'll come naturally as you play.<br />
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Do what your character would do. Do what <i>you </i>would do.<br />
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Buy a house! Fill it with cool stuff.<br />
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Wear cool armor! Feel like a bad ass!<br />
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Talk back to people in your own voice, 'cause the people in Skyrim say some stupid stuff sometimes. Talking back to them is fun.<br />
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Find a play style that suits you, whether that is being sneaky or running around smashing everything.<br />
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You're living out a fantasy life. Make it your own.
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<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/09/what-are-you-doing.html">Remember what you're doing.</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You don't need to do Everything</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
Skyrim is what, 300+ hours worth of gameplay?<br />
<br />
Yikes.<br />
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Don't feel the need to seek out quests or complete all of the quests that end up in your quest log. Play out your life as your character would.<br />
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Would he/she go running around Skyrim trying to find people who needed shit done for them because they'er too lazy or unable to do it themselves?<br />
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If you're a really kind go-getter then great! When I played I let quests find me. <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2012/01/moral-decline-of-erogu-leit-dragonborn.html">Erogu Lieut</a> was a selfish Dragonborn who tended not to help out others unless there was something in it for him.<br />
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I never joined the Companions, essentially missing out on hours worth of gameplay and even achievements. Why? I didn't want to. The Companions were brash fighters and that didn't fit into my play style. It didn't make sense for my character to want to have anything to do with the Companions.<br />
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Don't let the unfinished quests in your log get to you. Some people want you to find their brother who was arrested by Imperials? Do you care? If you do go free that sucker! If you don't, don't bother. It's not your problem.<br />
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<b>You don't need to do everything. You're going to miss a lot, and that's ok.</b><br />
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Skyrim is a lot of fun, but there are also a lot of other games out there, as well as stuff you probably need to get done in the real world.<br />
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Playing Skyrim without the intent of tracking down every quest and joining every faction can make the game less daunting and your playthrough feel more natural.<br />
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So play out your characters life how you like, how you think it would unfold, and then find a point where your story ends.<br />
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For the time being.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Be a Minimalist</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
This is something probably no one has ever thought of doing in a game like this.<br />
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Gamers love loot.<br />
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Loot loot loot.<br />
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You can even get a lute as loot in Skyrim.<br />
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After only a few hours of playing Skyrim I'm sure you'll will, or have, ended up with more junk in your inventory than you know what to do with.<br />
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You can't even sell it all conveniently in Skyrim because storekeepers don't have an infinite supply of money.<br />
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What you're left with is a cluttered inventory made up almost entirely of things you don't, or will never use.<br />
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<b>Pick one or two weapons you'll use. Dump or sell the rest. <i> </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><br />
You don't need 20 weapons shoved up your butt. If you actually use that many different weapons I'm impressed. And confused....<br />
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If you come across a better weapon, replace your current one. Sell it as soon as you can or just dump it where you find the better one.<br />
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<b>Go through your potions and eliminate the useless ones. </b><br />
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You're going to have a million potions before you know it. Most of them you will never need to use.<br />
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Sell or dump off the ones you don't need. Stamina, Magica, and Heath potions are king. You won't find yourself using much else. So choose which ones to keep. Enjoy your free space.<br />
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<b>Do this for the rest of the categories in your inventory.</b><br />
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If you can't bring yourself to just drop items in the middle of nowhere, leave them in your house (you can buy one in ever town from the court steward). Put your weapons in a chest and your clothes and armor in a dresser. Keep it organized.<br />
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Keep the items in your inventory to a minimum. You'll never be over encumbered and you'll be able to find what you're looking for quickly with a neat and uncluttered inventory.<br />
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Find your own ways to get the most out of Skyrim and share it here in the comments!<br />
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Enjoy Skyrim.<br />
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Enjoy your life.<br />
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<br />
See also: <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/11/enjoyment-guide-to-gears-of-war-3.html">An Enjoyment Guide to Gears of War 3</a><br />
<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-61832346604697812042012-01-23T14:45:00.004-06:002012-01-25T10:36:25.492-06:00The Moral Decline of Erogu Leiut, Dragonborn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I plan on putting together an <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/11/enjoyment-guide-to-gears-of-war-3.html">Enjoyment Guide</a> for Skyrim soon. In the meantime I have something else for you.<br />
<br />
I do my best to play it as an unfolding story, with "me" as the main character. As such I do my best to come up with what my character might be thinking of feeling throughout his experiences as the Dragonborn.<br />
<br />
For now I hope I can entertain you with the chronicles of my character in Skyrim; Erogu Leiut (RogueLieutenant, clever right?) an argonian who found himself in a downward spiral of moral decline throughout his confusing and trying times in the frosty land of Skyrim.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">SPOILERS AHEAD</span></b> (read on anyway.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Our</span> story begins with Erogu Leiut, <a href="http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Argonian">Argonian</a>, waking up on an imperial cart, hands bound behind his back. Erogu glanced around, finding himself sharing the rickety cart with three other prisoners, each yapping about their forthcoming execution by the hands of an imperial headsman.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"How did I get here???" Erogu thought. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Erogu was terribly confused. Why didn't he have any prior memory before this point in time? He felt as though he was at least in his twenties, but he had no memory of family or friends or any life at all before this point. It disturbed him to realize he must have some form of amnesia. But that didn't matter, he had more pressing things to worry about, namely the fact that he was being lead to his execution for crimes he didn't know.<br />
<br />
It seemed that Erogu was out for himself, and didn't have much hope of escape. What a pitiful life, awakening with no memory whatsoever only to be lead to his death five minutes later.<br />
<br />
The cart unloaded the prisoners and Erogu was the last off the cart. He witnessed the others' heads fall from their bodies as the headsman brought down his ax. When it was Erogu's turn to place his neck into the wood he decided he really didn't care. He obviously had nothing to live for, so he decided it would be for the best if he were to die right then and there. It would put an end to all his confusion.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Just as the ax raised to bring sweet relief to Erogu, a terrible shriek filled the air and all of the imperials attending the executions were burnt to a crisp by a dragon.<br />
<br />
A dragon?<br />
<br />
Erogu didn't remember much, but he somehow knew that seeing a dragon wasn't an every day occurrence. He stood up and started to run, hands still bound, the headsman dead on the ground.<br />
<br />
Erogu now wanted to live. He found this change of heart ironic, but he pressed on. He needed to escape this dragon attack and see what this life had to offer.<br />
<br />
Erogu escaped the dragon attack with the help of Ulfric Stormcloak, the leaders of the Stormcloaks, a group who wished to see the Empire pushed out of Skyrim. Ulfric asked Erogu if he wanted to join their cause but Erogu really couldn't care less.<br />
<br />
Erogu was an Argonian, a reptilian species from the south of Cyrodil. He had no idea why he had found himself on a cart in the snowy province of Skyrim this morning, but he knew he just didn't care about anyone's problems right now except his own. Erogu needed to figure some things out.<br />
<br />
Erogu didn't even say thank you to Ulfric as he ran off in search of some meaning in his life.
<br />
<br />
He was terribly cold. He missed the Black Marsh, although he had hardly any memory of it. How could people stand to live in such a cold place?<br />
<br />
Through a series of seemingly random events, Erogu went on to defeat a dragon outside the city of Whiterun. The locals started telling him that they thought he was the 'dragonborn'.<br />
<br />
What the heck was a dragonborn? It seemed to have some basis in their Nordic lore. But Erogu was an Argonian. Argonians were uncommon in Skyrim and not very adapted to the cold weather. How could he possibly be the dragonborn? Shouldn't the dragonborn be a Nord?<br />
<br />
What did being the dragonborn imply even? Were my parents dragons? Those implications were disturbing. Although Erogu's reptilian features would lend a little credibility to his status as the dragonborn.<br />
<br />
It was all so confusing to Erogu. At least everything was happening so slowly. Erogu spent much of his time wandering from place to place not really doing much of anything except enjoying the scenery.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
He found himself longing for more adventure, more action.<br />
<br />
Erogu's lust for adventure and knowledge eventually led him to the mage college of Winterhold, where he rose though the college's ranks and saved the world. He was then promptly appointed to the position of Arch-Mage of the college.<br />
<br />
He admitted that he had in fact done quite a lot for the college in his short time, but he didn't feel qualified to be the Arch-Mage. He had no leadership skills, he kept mainly to himself, not once in his time in Skyrim did he care about anyone else but himself. He also noticed that almost everyone else in the College had more skill with magic than he had, making almost anyone in the college more qualified than him. Erogu preferred a bow and arrow to magic.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/d/d0/Winterholdcollege.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/d/d0/Winterholdcollege.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The College of Winterhold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Still they insisted, and it was so that Erogu Lieut became the Arch Mage of the college of Winterhold.<br />
<br />
He didn't really care.<br />
<br />
He never went back to the college after that day. But he assumed they must have been fine, because no one ever came looking for him, wondering where their Arch Mage had run off to.<br />
<br />
If only they knew.<br />
<br />
He wanted more. He needed more adventure. He contemplated joining the Companions, but he decided that their warrior-like way wasn't suited to his more stealthy approach to things. Erogu had also heard through whispers and rumors that all of the members of the Companions were werewolves. Erogu, being an Argonian, thought that it wouldn't make much sense for him to be a werewolf anyway. A lizard guy turning into a dog thing? It simply didn't fit in Erogu's mind. It seemed even more silly than a Khajiit, a cat-like people, being a werewolf. That was just ironic.<br />
<br />
Erogu traveled to Riften, a town run by thieves, and quickly found himself rising through the ranks of the Thieves Guild. Before now Erogu had been guided by a relatively straight moral compass. He only killed in self defense and didn't steal from anyone. He even helped out others now and then, though only because it served his own ends.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/XDcj7f5ZXEv48C1Nz3oNkilFuWzwFfo2bzFc5sPe41rRMKjHgPAvFeYrMOYSutTw-8UyFzZ*L7vDlz44bdxvP8Rfjo1bi-C6/Theif.PNG?width=639&height=344" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://api.ning.com/files/XDcj7f5ZXEv48C1Nz3oNkilFuWzwFfo2bzFc5sPe41rRMKjHgPAvFeYrMOYSutTw-8UyFzZ*L7vDlz44bdxvP8Rfjo1bi-C6/Theif.PNG?width=639&height=344" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaky Sneaky</td></tr>
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<br />
But now he was stealing things from others without any second thought. Often these people were hard working people who's lives were probably sent into poverty and despair after the deft hands of Erogu Lieut picked through their pockets or slipped through their homes.<br />
<br />
Erogu didn't care. He was making money and gaining status within the Thieves Guild.<br />
<br />
Soon he started stealing from anyone he could lay his fingers on. Picking gold out of pockets here, arrows out of quivers there, all without a second thought.<br />
<br />
Not long after his joining of the Guild, Erogu found himself busting down a guild conspiracy and rising to the top of the Guild, and in doing so he became a Nightengale, a servant of the Daedra of the shadows, Nocturnal.<br />
<br />
That wouldn't be his only run in with a Daedra. Once Erogu found himself beating an innocent man to death with a rusty mace because a Daedra asked him too. Erogu wanted to refuse, but there seemed to be only one choice in the situation, so he obliged. Erogu actually felt a little dirty about that.<br />
<br />
That was the last time Erogu felt regret in his life.<br />
<br />
On a return trip to Riften, Erogu visited the orphanage in hopes of adoption a son to follow in his footsteps. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately they weren't taking adoptions. But something else came out of this little visit. Erogu witnessed the head of the orphanage berating and yelling at the children, and overall treating them terribly. Erogu didn't know exactly why that irked him as most of the children he had encountered in Skyrim were little shits, but he wasn't going to let her get away with treating those orphans like that.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Erogu followed her into her room and when they were alone he put an arrow through the back of her head. Erogu felt righteous. Then all of the children cheered with joy, for the lady who had tormented them for so long was dead.<br />
<br />
That righteous kill took Erogu yet farther down in his moral decline.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DhOsEkwRW9C9ZJ7kLSLBAq9EcY8CX7QwecqVTm69m-OHnmm5ofBbUh20P5jGAtg1nefDHHYlA19n3U-5WJ1lZ0A6yasK0VOH-dqpLr49Upu4uDs9uvRQl7OLEQYZObQ9cROi71Wtczhl/s320/skyrim_dark_brotherhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DhOsEkwRW9C9ZJ7kLSLBAq9EcY8CX7QwecqVTm69m-OHnmm5ofBbUh20P5jGAtg1nefDHHYlA19n3U-5WJ1lZ0A6yasK0VOH-dqpLr49Upu4uDs9uvRQl7OLEQYZObQ9cROi71Wtczhl/s320/skyrim_dark_brotherhood.jpg" /></a></div>
He attracted the attention of the Dark Brotherhood, an organizations of assassins who praise the Night Mother and Sithis.<br />
<br />
Erogu felt at home with his new family. He killed people without question when he was asked to and he grew increasingly good at it. He no longer felt any pangs of guilt or remorse when he took the life of an innocent.<br />
<br />
He made money off of it and that's what mattered.<br />
<br />
Erogu eventually made it to the very top of the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim after killing the Emperor himself.<br />
<br />
He also ended the reign of the evil dragon Alduin, but that's a different story. Erogu had only done that because he was running out of other things to do.
<br />
<br />
Erogu believed that everyone in Skyrim should fear and respect him. He wore a sinister dragon priest mask over his black caped Nightengale armor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://skyrimnexus.com/imageshare/images/179121-1322313392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://skyrimnexus.com/imageshare/images/179121-1322313392.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erogu looks something like this, but skinnier. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
He should have stricken fear into the heart of any who laid eyes on him. But he didn't. He assumed that every citizen in Skyrim was intolerably stupid. He lamented the fact that he was the only smart person in the world.<br />
<br />
He felt lonely.<br />
<br />
Erogu Lieut was a thief and a murderer. Stealing from or killing anyone he felt like without a second thought. He ruled Skyrim and he knew it.<br />
<br />
One day Erogu found himself going back to look into something he had heard about long ago in his travels. He went to the hall of the dead in Markarth only to find a crazy lady there who was insisting that he had once eaten human flesh. She explained that most people block out the memory of the first time they fed on another person.<br />
<br />
This seemed plausible enough to me since he had absolutely no memory whatsoever before a few months ago.<br />
<br />
Erogu still didn't trust her, but agreed to follow her to her secret cave. There he found a dinner table and some sacrificial devices amongst other things.<br />
<br />
At this point Erogu Lieut faced a choice.<br />
<br />
Should he kill this crazy cannibal lady? Or join her?<br />
<br />
This may have seemed like an easy choice for most people, but for Erogu it was more difficult. His moral compass was spinning in circles as if it were on the north pole.<br />
<br />
That day it shattered.<br />
<br />
He agreed to bring a priest to their little hideout so they could feast on his flesh.<br />
<br />
He lured an innocent man into the den and found the long dinner table populated by people letting loose excited phrases in anticipation of the evening's meal.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/d/dc/TasteOfDeathImage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/d/dc/TasteOfDeathImage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Erogu killed the innocent man he had lured in and fed on him.<br />
<br />
He liked it.<br />
<br />
It gave him strength.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The other's at the table seemed pleased with Erogu.<br />
<br />
But he was not pleased with them. He pulled out his bow and ended every last one of them, and then he fed on their corpses as well.<br />
<br />
From that point on Erogu's hunger for flesh could not be sated. He would feed on anyone he killed.<br />
<br />
But he was still lonely.<br />
<br />
He never cared about anyone in his time in Skyrim. Perhaps he did before that pre-memory time. But that time didn't matter now.<br />
<br />
He wanted someone to care about.<br />
<br />
Erogu Lieut, the theiving, murdering, corpse eating savior of Skyrim slipped his amulet of Mara round his neck and went off in search of a wife.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>THE END</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well there you have it. That's a summary of the time I've spent in Skyrim as Erogu Lieut. Up to this point at least. Will Erogu find love? No one knows. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was able to put this together because I<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/09/what-are-you-doing.html"> remember what I'm doing</a> when I play games. I tend to try and find a great story in anything I'm doing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I would love to hear your tales of adventure as well! Just leave a comment or leave a link to your own blog with your tales. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Keep your moral compass straight. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Enjoy your game. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Enjoy your life. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-10591035636749866872011-12-01T21:00:00.001-06:002011-12-01T22:12:32.687-06:00Remember Death<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Death is a subject that most people are uncomfortable talking about or even thinking about. That being the case, psychologists say that thinking about death is a very good way to increase your overall happiness level. It's even one of the most recommended happiness activities.<br />
<br />
We tend to push the thought of death out of our minds naturally, yet as gamers death is often exposed to us in copious amounts. Some might even claim most gamers have been desensitized to violence and death.<br />
<br />
Almost any competitive online game involves 'killing' the other players. All of the most popular games on the market today involve death to one degree or another.<br />
<br />
And it's fun isn't it? We go through our games killing thousands and thousands of virtual avatars and think nothing of it. We love doing it.<br />
<br />
Does that make us freaks? No not at all. We have the mental capacities to differentiate between reality and virtual worlds.<br />
<br />
Games tend to trivialize or sensationalize death, but now and then a game will put some gravity upon a situation and really make you think of things in a more realistic and deep way. I enjoy and appreciate when games present death in a more serious and emotionally evocative way. I speak about a in game death that touched me emotionally in this article about an <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/in-game-family.html">in-game family</a>. L.A. Noir certainly makes you think more about death, since you're the one investigating the grisly murders.<br />
<br />
But I also love <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/11/enjoyment-guide-to-gears-of-war-3.html">Gears of War</a>, a game in which you slice through people with chainsaws and make their heads pop like melons without giving death a second thought.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cjWYhXrC0-c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Though perhaps this trailer lends more thought upon death than does most of the game.</span><i> </i></div>
<br />
<br />
Eric Weiner writes that death is "a subject that oddly, comes up an awful lot in my search for happiness. Maybe we can't really be happy without first coming to terms with our own mortality."<br />
<br />
Accepting the fact that we're going to die inevitably <i>in-game</i> can be beneficial and help reduce your stress and anger levels while playing online, but what about real life? We can hold out hope that medical advances might prolong our lives to an unprecedented degree, but in the end we need to accept our own mortality.<br />
<br />
Remembering death can help us better our lives every day. Wouldn't remembering that one day you're going to die motivate you to make positive changes in your life?<br />
<br />
Plato said this: "Practice regular meditation upon death."<br />
<br />
And Buddha said this: "Of all mindfulness meditations, that on death is supreme."<br />
<br />
Many people have near death experiences or those with terminal illnesses often find themselves realigned by their trauma. They experience something called post-traumatic bliss. They are able to trivialize the trivial, assume a sense of control. The stop doing things they don't want to and communicate more openly with family and friends.<br />
<br />
You shouldn't have to have a near death experience to realize how precious your life is.<br />
<br />
Realize it now! Find the beauty in every moment and make it all count.<br />
<br />
You've only got one life to live so make it count.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vRP0pbVsRV0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is one of the powerful examples of a game making you feel for a death in a game. Spoiler Alert.</div>
<br />
<br />
I don't mean to be getting you down with all this death talk, after all, the purpose of this blog is for me to try improve the happiness you get out of gaming and out of your everyday lives. My goal is to help you improve your life, if only ever so slightly.<br />
<br />
I'm trying to point out that playing video games can give us reminders of our own mortality. And being reminded of that now and then is a good thing.<br />
<br />
When you or someone else in a game gets no-scoped or chainsawed. Laugh to yourself. But then, even if it's deep down inside, be thankful that something like that hasn't actually happened to you, and you're fortunate enough to even be playing a video game and laughing your ass off at some good ol' gore and violence.<br />
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So remember death.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life to the fullest.<br />
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<br />
Previous Post: <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/11/enjoyment-guide-to-gears-of-war-3.html">Enjoyment Guide to Gears of War 3</a></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-14244063478598529892011-11-01T18:08:00.000-05:002012-02-28T21:58:21.484-06:00Enjoyment Guide to Gears of War 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Anxiety has kept me from enjoying this game in [multiplayer] for a while, but after reading your guide I've relaxed and have been happily enjoying Onyx Guard Oatmeal" </b></div>
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-Lloyd Walls, aka Torgoth, a valued reader. </div>
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A while back I said I was going to start writing <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/introducing-happiness-guides.html">Happiness Guide</a> for games. The name has since changed to Enjoyment Guides. If you can think of a better one put it in the comments. Essentially what an Enjoyment Guide is is a strategy guide for being as happy as possible while playing a particular game.<br />
<br />
This is my first Enjoyment Guide. I hope it helps you enjoy your time with Gears of War 3 even more.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/why-gears-of-war-is-all-about-mental.html">Gears of War</a> 3 came out on September 20th and if you haven't picked it up yet you're missing out.<br />
<br />
Gears of War 3 is a lot of fun but like almost every game out there, especially games that you spend a lot of time playing online, it has a pretty big potential to send you into a fit of <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">gamer rage</a> or frustration.<br />
<br />
That's where this Enjoyment Guide comes in.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>ONLINE VERSUS</b></span><br />
<br />
Let's start with online multiplayer, where I would guess a majority of your frustration will manifest.<br />
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<b>You're going to die.</b><br />
<br />
So don't get mad when you do. If you didn't ever die in multiplayer that would... well that would mean you are the best Gears player ever to be born; the chosen one that the prophecy foretold of.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, you're just going to have to accept the fact that you're going to die in multiplayer. If you're not mature enough to handle that, maybe go play <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/10/relaxing-games.html">Uno</a> or something.<br />
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And on the topic of dying in online multiplayer, odds are your death will be dealt by the sawed off shotgun. Because it's a very easy weapon to use, and very powerful. The sawed off shotgun is in fact, what grinds my gears (see what I did there?) the most in versus multiplayer.<br />
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Thanks to this handy video, you should be able to avoid it most of the time.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/No8fmodjy2Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This video has helped me deal with the sawed off menace and hopefully it will help you.<br />
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Whether you choose to use the sawed off or not, that's just personal preference. In the end you're going to be turned into hamburger more times than you can count while playing online so you had better learn to roll with the punches.<br />
<br />
Figure out which two starting weapons work for you the best.<br />
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One way of coping with in-game death is with humor. If my head gets shot off, I almost always laugh. Because the Gears of War headshot is just awesome.<br />
<br />
But my favorite way of having fun with all the death and destruction in Gears is to name all the deaths, whether it is my own death or that of an enemy or teammate, after foods.<br />
<br />
Yep.<br />
<br />
I gib someone with my shotgun: <b>Locust Linguini</b>.<br />
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My teammate gets chainsawed: <b>Dom Stew</b>.<br />
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I get mortared: <b>Hoffman Happy Meal</b>.<br />
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Prescott Panini, Samantha Burger, Anya Casserole, and so on. you get the picture. It's entertaining to come up with culinary descriptions for the bloody mayhem in Gears of War. (Or maybe I'm just crazy.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Head Mode is always good fun</td></tr>
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Another way to avoid frustration online is to ignore people. Most of the people who use headsets online don't have many encouraging or pleasant things to say. So ignore them.<br />
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Using a mic can be a good way to make new friends online and find people who are actually nice and fun to play with, but often times you're just going to get an earful of little kid or douchebag.<br />
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Use a mic at your own discretion. Whatever you do, don't let <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/dealing-with-dicks.html">dicks</a> get to you.<br />
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Playing online is always more <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/02/importance-of-playing-with-friends.html">fun with friends</a>. If you make friends over Xbox Live to play with that's great, or if you have friends from the real world that play Gears 3 online, be sure sure to play with them as often as you can.<br />
<br />
You're far less likely to get frustrated at the game if you're playing with someone you know.<br />
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If versus is giving you a hard time, try playing in bot matches. Playing against bots is a good way to practice using different weapons and honing your skills. Bot matches can also end up being a lot of fun because generally you can steamroll them and get a lot of points.<br />
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Gears of War 3 lets you choose a title to display next to your name in multiplayer lobbies. Choose one that reflects your play style. I boast the K/D Indifferent title because I'm in it for fun, and it's not a big deal to me if someone steals one of my kills. You shouldn't get worked up if someone steals one of your kills either.<br />
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I have seen players yell and quit matches because someone took a single kill from them. Wow. It's not a big deal. Most of the times kills are stolen by accident. Don't worry about it. You get plenty of points regardless.<br />
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If you get too fed up with the versus multiplayer try out Horde or Beast modes. These modes are a lot of fun and you're far less likely to run into unruly people because the purpose of the game modes is to work together.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>CAMPAIGN</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
The campaign in Gears of War 3 is the best out of the series and even better if you play co-op. Playing cooperatively allows you and up to 3 other players to watch each other's backs and work together.<br />
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If you don't know anyone who will play co-op with you, fret not. You can join a game online with random people so you'll never have to play campaign by yourself if you don't want to.<br />
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If you join a game of Arcade Mode campaign odds are you'll even find yourself in a game that has mutators enabled. I found myself in a game with a laugh track, so every time someone died a sitcom-like laugh track would play. It was hilarious.<br />
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There are also a bunch of great easter eggs to find in Gears of War three, such as the Sawed off Chicken arcade machine.<br />
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And always remember <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/09/what-are-you-doing.html">what you're doing</a>.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
Enjoy Gears of War 3<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life<br />
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<br />
Do you have a request for a Enjoyment Guide? Tell me what game you'd like to see have an Enjoyment Guide! Post in the comments or <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/contact.html">contact me!</a><br />
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<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-7856356628703332492011-10-19T13:32:00.001-05:002011-10-19T13:32:51.367-05:00The Deck of Change<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/avatars/1373086/g8661.large.jpg?1317379802" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/avatars/1373086/g8661.large.jpg?1317379802" /></a></div>
Recently I was approached (on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/RogueLieutenant">Twitter</a>) and asked if I would feature <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aitia/the-deck-of-change">The Deck of Change</a> here on IJAG. I was pretty excited that someone actually approached me about my site here. I guess that means at least one person is reading the stuff I write.<br />
<br />
As long as at least one person is reading my work and benefiting from what I have to say here I'll keep writing.<br />
<br />
<b>It's Just a Game is about you.</b> I'm here to help you get the most out of your life as a gamer.<br />
<br />
The Deck of Change seems like a very interesting project and something worthy of being featured here on this site. It aims to bring positive change to your life. It utilizes positive psychology, something many game developers these days use and study.<br />
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Here is a video that showcases this innovative project.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="410px" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aitia/the-deck-of-change/widget/video.html" width="480px"></iframe>
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I would love to see this project succeed so spread the word!<br />
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</div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-59787841013832559062011-10-12T14:02:00.000-05:002011-10-12T14:03:35.075-05:00Relaxing Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A lot of us tend to get stressed out or overwhelmed quite often in our lives. Now and then we all need a chance to just relax.<br />
<br />
Everyone likes to relax, though relaxing isn't something we tend to think about when we're playing video games.<br />
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Lots of people like to use video games as a way to unwind after a <a href="http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/6ca/854/ad4/resized/dwight-schrute-meme-generator-going-to-be-a-long-day-false-all-days-are-approximately-86-400-seconds-in-length-2e5fb8.jpg">long day</a>. But how many times has that backfired on you? How many times have you jumped into a game looking for a good time only to get riled up and stressed out even more?<br />
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Have you ever thought about playing games that are relaxing and calming instead of games that are aggressive and stressful at times?<br />
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I love playing <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/why-gears-of-war-is-all-about-mental.html">Gears of War</a> online, but let's face it, it's not the best way to relax and let go of the day.<br />
<br />
Though there are plenty of ways to relax, sometimes a nice calm game is just what we need. Here's some of my favorite games to just chill to.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Chime</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b>What is Chime? </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">This is my number one game to relax to. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chime_(video_game)">Chime</a> is a game about placing Tetris-like shapes on a grid that effect the music. A beat line crosses across the grid in time with the music effecting the blocks as it passes over them. Your goal is to cover as much of the board as possible in the time allotted, though there is a free play mode where you are not timed which is the most relaxing and care free way to play. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AkrkDSVOPz4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">I'm chilling just listening to this video... Ahh...</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Why it's relaxing</b></span><br />
One of the most relaxing features of Chime is it's music. Each stage has it's own set of music that is very tranquil and relaxing. The music is influenced by the shapes you place onto the grid. Chime is very stress free and simplistic in its design. This enhances the relaxation factor. It wouldn't be very relaxing if it were flashing strobe lights at you would it?<br />
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If you just want one game that you can kick back and relax with after a stressful day, you need to get Chime. It's on Xbox Live or Windows and it's cheap, only $5. Better yet that money goes to charity.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Uno, Poker, Catan, Etc</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<b>What are they? </b><br />
There are plenty of card and board type games available on all platforms. Find one that you like and have fun with. I personally love Uno and Catan.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thebuzzmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/uno-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.thebuzzmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/uno-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.thebuzzmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/uno-screenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.luisescobarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/the-settlers-of-catan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.luisescobarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/the-settlers-of-catan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Why they're relaxing</b><br />
Card and board games as video games are also good ways to relax. Like Chime they're very low stress and low intensity. They are very good ways to unwind and not worry about getting fragged or teabagged. Often they're also a good place to socialize with other players online with a lower risk of profanity, racism, and assholness.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Minecraft</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<b>What is Minecraft? </b><br />
If you haven't heard of <a href="http://www.minecraft.net/">Minecraft </a>yet, you must not be on the internet much. Minecraft is an open world game where you can pretty much create anything you can imagine by placing blocks. Sounds boring? It's not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6hRbm4pCmyJL7FvzrsD5OriTXR_5DUQEP2Shd-761dyxEvBtieL5Qw7gh-Vd9Jdi5DQ2eoo6lc07v7sT5WH0qZRApjCedaX3CCHfqfRftjdULhwK5hyCMaiNhCVr6Qkbkx6S6EtHi5kd/s640/Minecraft+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6hRbm4pCmyJL7FvzrsD5OriTXR_5DUQEP2Shd-761dyxEvBtieL5Qw7gh-Vd9Jdi5DQ2eoo6lc07v7sT5WH0qZRApjCedaX3CCHfqfRftjdULhwK5hyCMaiNhCVr6Qkbkx6S6EtHi5kd/s320/Minecraft+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your imagination is all that limits you in Minecraft</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b>Why it (can be) relaxing</b><br />
Minecraft is one of the scariest game's I've ever played (aside from the 10 minutes I played the Amnesia demo). At night monsters come after you in Minecraft. I actually spent my first ever night in the world of Minecraft in a hole in the ground hoping the monsters wouldn't get me.<br />
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But there is a peaceful mode where there are no monsters and no worries (except drowning and falling from heights). In peaceful mode it's just you, the world, and you're imagination. Letting your imagination run free in Minecraft is a great way to release stress and cultivate your own creativity. Just remember to keep an eye on the clock as it can get very addicting.<br />
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<b>Other games to try</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
I haven't played these next games, but from what I've seen of them they have the potential to be very relaxing games.<br />
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<b><a href="http://thatgamecompany.com/games/flower/">Flower</a>: </b>A game where you blow around as flower petals in the wind.<br />
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<a href="http://thatgamecompany.com/wp-content/themes/thatgamecompany/_include/img/flower/flower-game-screenshot-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://thatgamecompany.com/wp-content/themes/thatgamecompany/_include/img/flower/flower-game-screenshot-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://thatgamecompany.com/games/flow/">Flow</a>: </b>A game where you control an organism as it evolves </div>
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I hope you'll remember to take time out of every day to just relax.<br />
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Enjoy your game.<br />
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Enjoy your life.<br />
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<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-52633955725285116122011-09-28T13:25:00.000-05:002011-09-28T13:26:08.935-05:00Quest Objective 3: Call Someone Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0yTl4leHCTYUq_AFQo75Prpiu3Orx4wQA9Lxz5heobyDmPJEv48B7xIRBsYgOSio68wmMosL2c-2Jp6fPqHW63DJ9c3GNiya2XV4LqaVe568wAgJZtlb46JczODzKg5Qc_fvnkedXUe5/s1600/CalmDown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0yTl4leHCTYUq_AFQo75Prpiu3Orx4wQA9Lxz5heobyDmPJEv48B7xIRBsYgOSio68wmMosL2c-2Jp6fPqHW63DJ9c3GNiya2XV4LqaVe568wAgJZtlb46JczODzKg5Qc_fvnkedXUe5/s200/CalmDown.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
The third objective in <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">The Quest</a> to rid the world of <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">Gamer Rage</a> is here.<br />
<br />
Your mission is simple.<br />
<br />
Call someone out for raging.<br />
<br />
The next time you're around one of your friends, or someone online, it doesn't really matter who, call them out for raging.<br />
<br />
Don't pour fuel on the fire though. Make them <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-objective-1-breathe.html">aware</a> of how their acting. How silly it is. Be respectful about that and try to reach them.<br />
<br />
Try to help them realize that they shouldn't be raging.<br />
<br />
Losing is fine. A challenge is a good thing. The world isn't going to end because you got screwed over in a game.<br />
<br />
Calm down.<br />
<br />
The more people we can help to see the error of their raging ways the closer we'll come to a world without gamer rage.<br />
<br />
This is my challenge to you: The next time you encounter someone who's raging (especially if you have the chance to interact in real life) try to calm them down and let them realize the futility of raging and freaking out at a game.<br />
<br />
Let's make a better world for gamers.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Previous Quest Objectives</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://images.wikia.com/civilization/images/9/94/Gandhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.wikia.com/civilization/images/9/94/Gandhi.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="166" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rayujxr-IyKTolesOmp7vQt0AmYxKFA5ObLt7M0M5-HAGgK-hENPapNSUG4b5vrMxf8EL3D0WOBVr4Tyixx2zlLczU5NwLL_q_jzGJbjJ8VUFc9Of28RAWJaAMvDj7IbV66IsZyozQ/s1600/2Breathe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rayujxr-IyKTolesOmp7vQt0AmYxKFA5ObLt7M0M5-HAGgK-hENPapNSUG4b5vrMxf8EL3D0WOBVr4Tyixx2zlLczU5NwLL_q_jzGJbjJ8VUFc9Of28RAWJaAMvDj7IbV66IsZyozQ/s200/2Breathe.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-objective-1-breathe.html">Objective 1: Breathe</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/08/quest-objective-2-lets-be-gaming.html">Objective 2: Let's be Gaming Gandhis</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-32943802508105350292011-09-23T18:25:00.000-05:002011-09-23T18:25:09.707-05:00The Presence of Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEJOd4hGvxcWq4m2E3GyOTOEODOY-9kXtKsQSx7OxbrzJv7jyOoFgo3eRDmCzhggb34zTcLjNwVniu894DCJb6dJkmE8LBs8sNtzZ5aKY1c45oGOG1-jd15wLUYeRAtzO-5XCJUig4wR1/s1600/yesterday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEJOd4hGvxcWq4m2E3GyOTOEODOY-9kXtKsQSx7OxbrzJv7jyOoFgo3eRDmCzhggb34zTcLjNwVniu894DCJb6dJkmE8LBs8sNtzZ5aKY1c45oGOG1-jd15wLUYeRAtzO-5XCJUig4wR1/s1600/yesterday.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote>
"Life can only take place in the present moment. If we lose the present moment, we lose life."<br />
Buddha</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The human mind is a screwy thing.<br />
<br />
Most people spend their lives either living in the past or in the future, not the present moment. Thoughts are constantly running through the mind thinking about what could've gone differently or <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/08/frag-your-expectations.html">expectations</a> for the future.<br />
<br />
How often when you're doing something are you actually <i>doing</i> it?<br />
<br />
When you're driving in your car are you actually <i>driving</i> or are you focusing on the past, or what you want to happen in the future?<br />
<br />
When you're walking somewhere are you present? Are you taking in your surroundings and realizing how <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/beauty-of-sunset.html">beautiful</a> everything is? Or are you yesterday, two days ago, an hour from now, or tomorrow?<br />
<br />
Start being aware of this, how often are you actually present; actually focusing on everything that's happening around you: be <i>conscious</i>.<br />
<br />
This is very hard and a strange concept for most people. Your mind doesn't want you in control.<br />
<br />
If you're like most everyone on planet Earth you'll probably realize that you in fact hardly spend any of your time truly in the present moment. That's 'cause your mind likes to run around and spend a lot of time on things that don't really matter that much.<br />
<br />
Like Buddha said, life can only take place in the present moment. And happiness thrives in the present moment.<br />
<br />
It's very hard to not be fully present when playing a video game. Video games demand your full attention. You can't help but let all of your focus flow into the game. This is one of the reasons video games have such great potential for happiness.<br />
<br />
When you're playing a game rarely is your mind anywhere but on the game, anywhere but the present moment. In this regard video games can even be quite liberating or <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/08/quest-objective-2-lets-be-gaming.html"><i>enlightening</i></a>.<br />
<br />
This is why video games are such useful tools for temporarily escaping from our lives. When we're in real life we tend to bog down ourselves with constant focus on the past and the future but spend very little time in the present, where we can be happiest. So we escape to video games, where we are fully present, whether you realize it or not.<br />
<br />
It's only when we momentarily lose focus on the present that we get frustrated and angry.<br />
<br />
You died? Something bullshitty happened?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/02/its-just-game.html">It's ok</a>. I promise. Just bring yourself back to the present.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-objective-1-breathe.html">Breathe</a> if you have to.<br />
<br />
Regain control of your mind (it's a crazy bugger) and control of your anger. <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/youre-in-control.html">You're the one in control</a> here. I'm assuming you don't want to be angry. Then don't be. <br />
<br />
Stay present.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Many of the concepts in this post I learned from this book:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577314808/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1577314808">The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577314808&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-13589605631363299012011-09-10T10:07:00.000-05:002011-11-01T16:53:11.963-05:00What are you doing?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6Io9n4gjdLRn47S6nMdERjus9-wGsjtz1I1HpuQwmQpuknEx6NIeWG1T6fGtndnK3QEIgqwI4OFd_cuRjHKC77_U1_etAPaX7sSDZBsTrGwA2UhlqUnPEoUQBEN4jpR3VhyeedW07se7/s1600/what_are_you_doing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6Io9n4gjdLRn47S6nMdERjus9-wGsjtz1I1HpuQwmQpuknEx6NIeWG1T6fGtndnK3QEIgqwI4OFd_cuRjHKC77_U1_etAPaX7sSDZBsTrGwA2UhlqUnPEoUQBEN4jpR3VhyeedW07se7/s200/what_are_you_doing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I want you to do something.<br />
<br />
The next time you're playing a game, especially if you're playing online, i want you to ask yourself something.<br />
<br />
What am I doing?<br />
<br />
What's your answer?<br />
<br />
No this is not meant to make you realize you should be doing something else besides playing video games, that would be a 'why' question.<br />
<br />
Keep on playing.<br />
<br />
But <i>what</i> are you doing?<br />
<br />
I'm sure a good number of you might answer something like this:<br />
<br />
<i>"I'm getting XP." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm leveling up." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm pwning people." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm showing these people my sick skills." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm playing a game online. Duh." </i><br />
<br />
Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but what if there was a different way to answer that question?<br />
<br />
When we play online we lose a lot of the immersion in the game world that we feel when we play single player, or campaign modes in games. When we're playing online it becomes less about what's happening in the game world, less about the characters (the players), and their potential motivations, and more about racking up high score, gathering as much XP and points as possible, and climbing the leaderboards.<br />
<br />
Here's a better way to answer the question of "What am I doing?" while playing games:<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"I'm engaged in combat against the Russian army fighting for my life and my country." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm a U.S. Marshall roaming the West looking for criminal scum to bring to justice." </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"I'm holding off zombies with my friends in a desperate attempt at survival."</i><br />
<br />
Which type of answer sounds more exciting? More immersive?<br />
<br />
The other day I joined a match of <a href="http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Undead_Overrun">Undead Overrun</a> in <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/beauty-of-sunset.html">Red Dead Redemption</a>. The character I was playing as was one of the U.S. Marshall characters. The other 3 players in the lobby were <a href="http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/John_Marston">John Marston</a>, <a href="http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Jack_Marston">Jack Marston</a>, and a crusty miner, <a href="http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Seth_Briars">Seth</a>.<br />
<br />
I didn't start thinking about how much XP I was going to get, what level everyone was at, or if they were <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/its-ok-to-be-noob.html">noobs</a> or not, but rather I came up with a scenario for what was about to happen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>A U.S. Marshal teaming up with a renegade father and son duo and a dirty miner who has never cared about another person in his life must band together. This unlikely team must cooperate out of necessity in order to survive in the face of the zombie Apocalypse.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
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<a href="http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Undead-Overrun-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Undead-Overrun-51.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
Does that sound more exciting, more fun, more immersive, that just looking at it in terms of XP, online play, and winning?<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
If not, then carry on as you were. You can stop reading now and go back to playing CoD or whatever.<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
If it sounds more fun than what you're used to then you now have an exciting new way to get involved with your games and stimulate your imagination and creativity.<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
This is just what I do naturally when I get into a multiplayer game. I love to come up with tiny storylines to make sense of what's going on. I like to get into the character I'm controlling like I talked about in the post <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/every-game-is-rpg.html">Every Game is an RPG</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>You should be able to get as much excitement, fun, and happiness out of every day as you possibly can. </b>Video games give you such great opportunities to get these things.<br />
<br />
Don't miss out on the chances to enhance your play with your own imagination.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://images.wikia.com/reddeadredemption/images/5/5b/Undead_zombieclassnormal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.wikia.com/reddeadredemption/images/5/5b/Undead_zombieclassnormal1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Don't get eaten.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-87612567237501963452011-09-06T23:36:00.000-05:002011-09-06T23:37:59.501-05:00Games can be Great Language Tools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://video.golem.de/teaser/1/1/5249/thumb-medium-300/gears-of-war-3-trailer-(deutsch-usk-18).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://video.golem.de/teaser/1/1/5249/thumb-medium-300/gears-of-war-3-trailer-(deutsch-usk-18).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I speak German. I'm pretty fluent, but not perfect.<br />
<br />
Video games were actually one of the tools I used to help get better at German.<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Toll oder?</i> <br />
<br />
If you're in the process of learning a new language, which I think everyone should be, video games can be fun learning tools.<br />
<br />
Being able to understand a second language, even just bits and pieces of it, is awesome. Its like being C-3PO minus 5,999,999 forms of communication. Learning a new language helps open up your mind to new things and new ways of life.<br />
<br />
The other day I was in the food court at the mall waiting for a sweet strawberry crepe and there was a group of people conversing joyfully in an Asian language. Not too much time passed before a group of teenagers strolled by. After they were out of earshot of the foreigners, but still within mine, I heard one mutter, "frickin' speak english."<br />
<br />
Seriously?<br />
<br />
They weren't talking to him. They were talking amongst themselves. I don't see why they should be expected to talk to each other in any language other than their own.<br />
<br />
It is very closed minded and naive to hold the belief that everyone should always be speaking English.<br />
<br />
Learning a second language is a great way to break out of this mindset.<br />
<br />
If you're in the process of learning a new language whether it's in school or just on your own time, video games can lend you a hand.<br />
<br />
Here's how.<br />
<br />
Most games nowadays, though not all, have enough extra disc space to include multiple voice tracks in different languages. You just need to access it, and it's easy as a trip to your system settings.<br />
<br />
Go into your console's system settings and find Language. Then just pick the target language of your choice. Remember just change the language, not the locale. That's different.<br />
<br />
For PS3 users here's a link to a page that will guide you to changing your language. <a href="http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/systemlanguage.html">LINK</a><br />
<br />
For Xbox 360 users here's a link to step by step instructions on how to do this. <a href="http://support.xbox.com/en-US/kinect/more-topics/dashboard-or-hub-in-another-language">LINK</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nxeassets.xbox.com/shaXam/SupportAssets/publishingimages/screenshots/xbox/dashboard/myxbox/syssettings/syssettings_languagelocale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://nxeassets.xbox.com/shaXam/SupportAssets/publishingimages/screenshots/xbox/dashboard/myxbox/syssettings/syssettings_languagelocale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>WARNING</b>: Be sure to remember the path to get to the language settings in case you ever want to switch back to English. I don't want you getting lost in the menus because they're in a different language.<br />
<br />
Once your console's language has been changed pop in a game and try it out to see if the dialog is now in a different language.<br />
<br />
I recommend you do this with a game you're very familiar with. Pick your favorite game. If you already know what they're saying it'll be easier for you to make connections with what they're saying in a different language, as well as navigate the menus.<br />
<br />
I used to play Gears of War in German all of the time. I learned words like 'suicide', 'take cover!', 'reloading', 'victory', and much more.<br />
<br />
It can also be pretty funny playing a game in a new language. In Gears of War Cole Train's German dub is even sillier than his English voice actor. And instead of saying "Shit yeah!" Dom will say "Scheieße ja!"<br />
<br />
When it comes to RPGs [ever game link] you might have less luck. Though I haven't tried it on many games, I know for sure games like Mass Effect only has one language on the disc due to the huge amount of dialog many RPGs have. There's simply just not enough room on the disc for more than one language.<br />
<br />
I did however manage to get Mass Effect 2 in German on PC. Interestingly enough, the lip syncing matched up with the new language. I was impressed by that.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.sok4r.de/v4/gfx/reviews/masseffect_5_dialog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://www.sok4r.de/v4/gfx/reviews/masseffect_5_dialog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So video games can be great, and definately fun, tools for helping you on your quest to learn a new language.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
<i>Viel Spass!</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://video.golem.de/games/5249/gears-of-war-3-trailer-(deutsch-usk18).html">Video: Gears of War 3 - Trailer (deutsch, USK 18)</a> (1:05)</div>
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RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-82747798526562803022011-08-29T14:28:00.000-05:002011-08-29T14:28:06.667-05:00Frag your expectations.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoMPHpdMUuY9pXVSm4luzmgo9oc8F4BOtU0GdWaGAFGKwa-nzgwnNQj6Fojg846hjMg_uuGQYYC0SmjPUpDASXWIP6hQG6ukBp_Gvbgty6tXgAKTl5XsOsgsSE13cmFEaoi_bTNrbT3Xf/s1600/expectations1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoMPHpdMUuY9pXVSm4luzmgo9oc8F4BOtU0GdWaGAFGKwa-nzgwnNQj6Fojg846hjMg_uuGQYYC0SmjPUpDASXWIP6hQG6ukBp_Gvbgty6tXgAKTl5XsOsgsSE13cmFEaoi_bTNrbT3Xf/s1600/expectations1.jpg" /></a></div><blockquote><i>“Act without expectation.” – Lao Tzu</i></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do you still get frustrated at games? Do little things still tip you over the edge and send you into a lapse of <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">Gamer Rage</a>? Even if you’re a Knight in the <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">Army Against Rage</a> these lapses may still occur. It’s ok. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Nobody’s perfect. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But we keep trying. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So far we’ve learned to <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/search?updated-max=2011-07-22T14%3A17%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=1">be aware of our own rage</a> and decided to <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/08/quest-objective-2-lets-be-gaming.html">become enlightened gamers</a>. Even <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/dont-fall-to-dark-side-lessons-from.html">Yoda</a> has given us wisdom on how to avoid The Dark Side, Gamer Rage. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But these feelings of irritation, frustration, and rage will still pop up from time to time. These feeling could be triggered by anything from a difficult boss fight, or as small as getting defeated in online multiplayer. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do little things get to you? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How much of your stress, frustration, disappointment, anger, irritation, pissed-offedness comes from little trivial things that happen to you while gaming? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It pretty much all comes from your expectations. Things will almost never turn out as we expect. We’ll always wish things were somehow different or had gone differently. This is where the negative feelings seep in. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As gamers we often are put in the position of thinking ahead, of forming tactics on the fly. We construct scenarios in our heads of what might happen. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<i> What do I do if that Locust goes over there? </i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Where should I go if that mech starts coming this way? <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>What gun will best deal with this threat? </i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We’re constantly assessing the situation and adjusting how we play accordingly. We’re always planning ahead. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But what happens when those plans don’t work out? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>That guy is over there. I’m going to pop out and shoot him. What?! I’m dead?!</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When things don’t play out the way we pictured in our heads we wish things went differently. We get disappointed that our expectations didn’t live up to reality. And this is when the negative feelings come in. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Solution: <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Take your expectations and frag them. Take a chainsaw bayonet to your expectations. Give ‘em the ol’ 360 no scope. Use some cloaking and sneak up behind those expectations and finish them off. Hog tie your expectations and leave them on the railroad tracks. Whatever you like. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not suggesting you stop thinking tactically; doing so would only net you a horrendous kill death ratio. I’m merely suggesting not to form expectations on how things will turn out for you. You truly have no idea how things will play out no matter how good you are. You need to roll with it rather than resisting what is happening and responding negatively to what has happened. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Continue acting as you see fit, but don’t form expectations about how others will act, or how things will, or should turn out for you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So now that your expectations are lying in bloody chunks at your feet, what happens now? They’ll probably just disappear after a short while depending on what engine your life runs on. Your expectations are vanquished. Just let them disappear. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now try gaming without them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Live without them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What’s it like? You accept things as they are. You accept people as they are. You accept games as they are. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You got owned. Accept it. It happened. Move on. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">No expectations.<span> </span>No frustration. No anger. No Gamer Rage. If these feelings show up, accept it, and move on. Negative feelings are a waste of your time. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If an expectation shows up, don’t worry. Just find it, and assassinate it. Then dispose of it however you see fit. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Just accept what is. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy your game. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy your life. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Live without expectations. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Inspiration for this post comes from Leo Babauta of <a href="http://zenhabits.net/">Zen Habits</a>. </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-5938070832456590712011-08-13T13:14:00.000-05:002011-08-13T13:14:53.108-05:00Quest Objective 2: Let's be Gaming Gandhis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/civilization/images/9/94/Gandhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.wikia.com/civilization/images/9/94/Gandhi.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>It's time for your second objective in <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">The Quest</a>, Knights.<br />
<br />
If you missed out on the first objective, here it is: <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-objective-1-breathe.html">Breathe</a>.<br />
<br />
I hope the first objective helped you to become more aware of your own rage and to help you avoid it. That's a very important step to being an honorable <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">Knight in the Army against Rage</a>. <br />
<br />
A while back I was posting in the Gears of War 3 forums on a thread about achievements. I said that there should be an achievement for just getting along with everyone online. No degrading anyone, no making fun of anyone, no insulting anyone, no yelling at anyone. Just being respectful and having a good time.<br />
<br />
Sadly such an achievement would likely be very hard to attain for most gamers. But not for the Knights in the Army against Rage.<br />
<br />
I have faith in you guys.<br />
<br />
When I suggested this obviously unimplementable achievement, I was naturally accused of being <a href="http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/not-realistic/">unrealistic</a>.<br />
<br />
One poster in particular said that I could go ahead and try be a 'Gaming Gandhi' but that he would go on playing games and insulting people as he did.<br />
<br />
I was honestly quite flattered to have been so unworthily compared to such a great historical figure such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghandi">Gandhi</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/MKGandhi.jpg/200px-MKGandhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/MKGandhi.jpg/200px-MKGandhi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
You second objective in The Quest is to try and also be 'Gaming Gandhis'. Now I understand that this label might not be very accurate.<br />
<br />
Gandhi was all about solving things through nonviolence, and let's be honest, most game's we play online are loaded with violence. This seems to be a bit of a contradiction and possibly even a defamation of Gandhi's name. (It might look something like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfvLcozLwtE">this</a>.)<br />
<br />
So instead of misusing the name of Gandhi, let's instead aspire to be 'Gaming <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma">Mahatmas</a>'. Mahatma is Sanskrit for "great soul." The term can also be used to <a href="http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Adept">adepts</a>, or liberated souls.<br />
<br />
I would think that gamers who play online and enjoy themselves without insulting or degrading others or participating in any other form of douchebaggery would be considered liberated souls in the gaming world.<br />
<br />
Are you up for the challenge of becoming a liberated gaming soul? Do you have what it takes to be a Gaming Mahatma?<br />
<br />
When you star playing a game online be courteous to everyone you're playing with. If there is a doucebag in the room, don't antagonize him. That'll just make it worse for everyone. Don't give in and be a dick back.<br />
<br />
You're better than that. You are a Gaming Mahatma.<br />
<br />
Help out your teammates. If there is a <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/its-ok-to-be-noob.html">noob</a> on the team, don't put them down, be helpful. Someone who is new to a game would greatly appreciate a more experienced player showing them the ropes and watching their back.<br />
<br />
If you act kind and fun mannered, odds are you'll start making lots of friends online who are also fun to play with.<br />
<br />
Try and make the game as fun for the other players as you can. Making others happy is a way to make yourself happy.<br />
<br />
Don't rage. Don't insult people. Don't be a <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/dealing-with-dicks.html">dick</a>.<br />
<br />
Be a Mahatma.<br />
<br />
Let your gaming sould be liberated and get the most out of your games.<br />
<br />
This is your second objective in <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">The Quest</a>. Be conscious of this mission every time you log into an online game.<br />
<br />
Be a Gaming Mahatma.<br />
<br />
Be a liberated soul.<br />
<br />
Not a douchy one.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-82682074273680285792011-08-05T13:48:00.000-05:002011-08-05T13:48:10.038-05:00Games Can be there for You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVh2o9b3yL_Wx0OZl-EO3mzk7aTuAEM5h2PyKt1wSb8Wla5ayxORC41mCCZeqOOlb6DUUvRtpxwPGA5CaCAGSPPiU4VLlYo_x0euVoch4jPAD7uL3ipIx61SnvZi-L7eAf7Hs-lHhon5tO/s1600/me2brosforlife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVh2o9b3yL_Wx0OZl-EO3mzk7aTuAEM5h2PyKt1wSb8Wla5ayxORC41mCCZeqOOlb6DUUvRtpxwPGA5CaCAGSPPiU4VLlYo_x0euVoch4jPAD7uL3ipIx61SnvZi-L7eAf7Hs-lHhon5tO/s320/me2brosforlife.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">This is a true story I’m about to share with all of you dear readers. (Seriously, if you’re reading this I appreciate you. A lot.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a story about how Mass Effect was there for me when I needed someone. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was my last year in high school. I went to a very small school in Nowhere, ND. (There were 20 kids in my graduating class. Yeah.) Now that I have your pity, we can continue with the story. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I decided to spend my senior year in Germany. I was getting sick of living in a small town. Everyone knew everyone, or so they thought. You never met anyone new. Everyone was set in their ways. Nothing exciting ever happened. I wanted to leave all of that small town life behind. This also meant leaving my girlfriend of the time behind. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The day I got on that plane to leave North Dakota was our 9 month anniversary. After a month or two of being away from her in Germany she started hinting that she didn’t want to be with me anymore. She wanted “a break.” <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This devastated me. Eventually it became pretty clear, though she never actually said it straight out, that she was breaking up with me. From over 1,000 miles away. My heart broke. My heart got fragged, assassinated, 360 no-scoped, chain sawed, whatever. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then my host parents (lovely people) took me on vacation completely oblivious as to how my heart was being held together by false hope that maybe I’d someday be with her again. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We went to a small little house that they owned in Holland. I can’t remember the name of the town. I don’t really remember much from that short vacation. My mind and my heart were elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I brought my Xbox 360 along on the trip. (My host parents suggested it. I guess they figured I might get bored.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent most of that small vacation sitting in front of the TV playing Mass Effect. At night I would lie in bed and try not to cry, try not to think about anything. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Like I said, she got a critical hit on my heart. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One day on our vacation the three of us took a trip to Amsterdam. No, we didn’t do anything crazy or outrageous so stop wondering. We went to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Tussauds">Madame Tussaud's</a> wax figure museum. That helped take my mind off things for a while. Other than that the only other thing I remember doing in Amsterdam was stopping for ice cream at a place that had a dalmation, and going to a book store. It was an English book store. Luckily for me. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I found my way to the science fiction section and I was very pleased to find the new Mass Effect novel I had been wanting to read. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345498526/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345498526" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0345498526&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=itsjuaga-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345498526/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345498526">Mass Effect: Ascension</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345498526&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345498526&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent my time on that vacation playing Mass Effect during the day and reading my Mass Effect novel at night. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I didn’t have anyone to comfort me. I was very torn up inside. The time we were on that vacation I had no internet, no way of contacting anyone. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I felt very alone. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But I had Mass Effect. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mass Effect was there for me. Mass Effect helped take my mind off the pain and confusion I was going through. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I love Mass Effect for a lot of reasons. And this is one of them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Games can be there for you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re going through tough times and you just need to get away from it all, to forget about it all for just a little bit, play a game. Focus only on the game and nothing else. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Forget about what’s ailing you for the short time you’re in the game. After some time away from reality you may reemerge more prepared to deal with whatever is going on in your life. Just don’t hide in games forever. Sooner or later you’ll have to face reality. That’s where your friends and family come in. Don’t have any? Then come to me. I’ll help you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I want you to be happy. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been heartbroken. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been depressed. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It sucks. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t want you to have to go through that. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m here for you. Seriously. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So enjoy your game. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy your life. If you’re not, let your games help, let me help. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Be happy. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">PS. That heartbreak story happened a long time ago. I’m over it and very happy. I have an amazing girlfriend who makes me very happy. I've been with her for almost a year and a half at the time of this writing. And I have all of you readers! Everyime someone reads one of my posts it makes me happy. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I'm happier than I've ever been thanks to my friends, my girlfriend and this book, which has changed my life. </div></div><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577314808/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1577314808" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1577314808&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=itsjuaga-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577314808/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1577314808">The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577314808&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577314808&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
</div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-37198348444366732672011-07-25T13:41:00.000-05:002011-07-25T13:41:04.692-05:00Introducing Happiness Guides<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1wNggQRcTu3jW6V8L4aaUEaJNCwJb7hqpEobyJARrR-QX9Swk3wIHm2hIpCI1kM643ive52hYIxPRaKaoOB_ahDKjpsszFl_rIithME8KM7DoeAKfAAxcxDAs5zEJtlJiGzcL_XvD7ZM/s1600/happy_face_happyface_smiley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1wNggQRcTu3jW6V8L4aaUEaJNCwJb7hqpEobyJARrR-QX9Swk3wIHm2hIpCI1kM643ive52hYIxPRaKaoOB_ahDKjpsszFl_rIithME8KM7DoeAKfAAxcxDAs5zEJtlJiGzcL_XvD7ZM/s200/happy_face_happyface_smiley.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Things are done a bit differently here at It's Just a Game. I want you to be happy. That's pretty much the whole point of this blog.<br />
<br />
So i'm trying something new. I'll keep doing it if these work out.<br />
<br />
I don't do game reviews here at It's Just a Game. There are enough of those out there to choke a <a href="http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Thresher_Maw">thresher maw</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm going to start writing up Happiness Guides for games.<br />
<br />
Think of Happiness Guides like a strategy guide, but rather than showing you all of the game's secrets and tips, you'll be getting tips and tricks on how to get the most out of games when it comes to happiness and really enjoying yourself.<br />
<br />
I want you to be happy, and I'm pretty sure that you want you to be happy too. Always keep that in mind when playing games, or doing anything for that matter. you're playing them for your enjoyment, not to fuel frustration.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/youre-in-control.html">You're in control.</a><br />
<br />
What games would you like to see happiness guides for? Are there any games that really get to you that you wish you could be happier playing? I need your input so I can pick which game to write a guide for first.<br />
<br />
Please tell me in the comments.<br />
<br />
Is the name Happiness Guide too cheesy? If it is do you have any other suggestions?<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for the future of Happiness Guides.<br />
<br />
You could be like these people!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://watermarked.cutcaster.com/cutcaster-photo-100805891-Young-happy-man-playing-video-game-with-control-pad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://watermarked.cutcaster.com/cutcaster-photo-100805891-Young-happy-man-playing-video-game-with-control-pad.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://watermarked.cutcaster.com/cutcaster-photo-100812314-Student-happy-teenagers-playing-video-game-having-fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://watermarked.cutcaster.com/cutcaster-photo-100812314-Student-happy-teenagers-playing-video-game-having-fun.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/nytumbleweeds/nytumbleweeds0907/nytumbleweeds090700013/5176681-happy-playing-video-games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/nytumbleweeds/nytumbleweeds0907/nytumbleweeds090700013/5176681-happy-playing-video-games.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/nyul/nyul1010/nyul101000041/7899219-senior-man-happy-winning-computer-game-raising-arms-laughing-looking-at-camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/nyul/nyul1010/nyul101000041/7899219-senior-man-happy-winning-computer-game-raising-arms-laughing-looking-at-camera.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Senior man happy winning computer game, raising arms, laughing, looking at camera.<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ogeeku.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/HappyGamers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ogeeku.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/HappyGamers.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-page-main/ehow/images/a06/15/mv/make-car-faster-gta3-800x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-page-main/ehow/images/a06/15/mv/make-car-faster-gta3-800x800.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok this kid's a little creepy. What is he playing?...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Haha ok. I was just having fun with cheesy stock images of people faking being happy playing games. Note the watermarks... That caption under the old guy was what it was described as on the site. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But seriously. I want you to be REAL happy. Not fake stock photo happy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy your game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy your life. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-15453822065907875142011-07-22T14:17:00.001-05:002011-07-22T14:19:32.130-05:00Achievement Jealousy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx6BZV9-MZ-3rkdQBneK8c2gyV0Yn0o_8N87jYv4jlAbOnTxCH5gqRDtJkfCLvxQHDW2N3dH4-kGnjzUROgnlKPZ8BPqx2wlL_Z7yPESJy-zb5yssaTcd5B8fI65LEo7_muul_hUjqFcw/s1600/jealousy+acheivement.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx6BZV9-MZ-3rkdQBneK8c2gyV0Yn0o_8N87jYv4jlAbOnTxCH5gqRDtJkfCLvxQHDW2N3dH4-kGnjzUROgnlKPZ8BPqx2wlL_Z7yPESJy-zb5yssaTcd5B8fI65LEo7_muul_hUjqFcw/s320/jealousy+acheivement.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The other day I was cuddled up with my girlfriend while she was playing the debatably incredible game <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/not-review-of-la-noire.html">L.A Noire</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had beaten the game already and now she wanted to give it a shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As she wrapped up questioning the last suspect, something happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">'Bleep bloop'<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That cocaine of an audio snippet that so many gamers crave. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She got an achievement! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I always get excited for her when she unlocks an achievement. Unlocking achievements, as inconsequential as they may be, is always exciting, so much so, that it's even exciting for me when other people get them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But what's this? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She unlocked an achievement that I never got in my time with the game!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Preposterous!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ever get that feeling? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You ever see someone who has an achievement or a trophy in a game that you don't have? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">These feelings work great for getting you to spend more time with a game working to match your buddies' achievements, but you shouldn't let it get to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just because someone has something you don't shouldn't mean that you spend your time fixating on getting that thing for yourself as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You have better ways to spend your energy than on jealousy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Be happy for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This applies to achievements, trophies, in game items, and, get this, real life!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not too long ago a friend of mine managed to get his hands on 4 unique Boba Fett miniatures pieces for the Star Wars miniatures game. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am a HUGE <a href="http://twitpic.com/5qmpwz">Boba Fett</a> fanboy. (Just look through the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/itsjuaga-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=3">IJAG store</a> and see how many Boba Fett items I own. I have even more that aren't listed.) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">So when my friend got those awesome figures for super cheap, I was naturally pretty jealous. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.legendgames.org/acatalog/bobaFett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.legendgames.org/acatalog/bobaFett.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But I let it go. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You too need to learn to let go of things when you get jealous. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><a href="http://www.vesivus.com/swminis/pics/ALE_Boba_Fett_enforcer_38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.vesivus.com/swminis/pics/ALE_Boba_Fett_enforcer_38.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jealousy is just as beneficial to you as anger. It's not beneficial at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Learn to be happy for others who have things rather than wishing you had them for yourself. Jealousy can only lead to broken relationships and contempt. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://zenhabits.net/happy/">Being happy</a> is always the best way to go about life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Someone else get an achievement or a trophy that you don't have? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cool. Good for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You might get it eventually, or you might not. Either way it doesn't matter. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy you game. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Live your life without jealousy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy your life. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In case you missed it, your <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-objective-1-breathe.html">first objective in The Quest</a> is up.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-44387111898880476942011-07-14T16:37:00.000-05:002011-07-14T16:37:51.322-05:00Quest Objective 1: Breathe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rayujxr-IyKTolesOmp7vQt0AmYxKFA5ObLt7M0M5-HAGgK-hENPapNSUG4b5vrMxf8EL3D0WOBVr4Tyixx2zlLczU5NwLL_q_jzGJbjJ8VUFc9Of28RAWJaAMvDj7IbV66IsZyozQ/s1600/2Breathe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4rayujxr-IyKTolesOmp7vQt0AmYxKFA5ObLt7M0M5-HAGgK-hENPapNSUG4b5vrMxf8EL3D0WOBVr4Tyixx2zlLczU5NwLL_q_jzGJbjJ8VUFc9Of28RAWJaAMvDj7IbV66IsZyozQ/s200/2Breathe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Welcome, Knights in the Army Against Rage, to your first Objective in <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">The Quest</a>, a cause to rid gaming of Gamer Rage.<br />
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Not a Knight yet? No problem! Joining is as simple as emailing me that you want in! <a href="mailto:joe.lutovsky@gmail.com">joe.lutovsky@gmail.com</a> Visit <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">THIS PAGE</a> for more info on The Quest and the Army Against Rage. You should become a Knight. It would mean a lot to have you in our army.<br />
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If we want to eliminate Gamer Rage from the world of gaming we first need to make sure we've eliminated it from ourselves. Just as the <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/dont-fall-to-dark-side-lessons-from.html">Jedi must do their best</a> to keep the dark side out of themselves, so must we do our best to keep from raging at games. <br />
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Gamer Rage can sneak up on all of us, so we need to always be aware of Gamer Rage in ourselves. If you feel like you are getting annoyed or frustrated by a game, just relax, and breathe.<br />
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The first, and best step to flushing that rage away is breathing.<br />
<br />
Yep.<br />
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<a href="http://zenhabits.net/breathe/">Breathe.</a><br />
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Something as simple as breathing can do wonders in every aspect of your life, not just gaming.<br />
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If you're getting stressed or frustrated at a game, just breathe. Be aware of your breathing. It'll calm you down.<br />
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Remind yourself that <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/02/its-just-game.html">It's Just a Game</a>, and that there is really no reason to be bothered by what's happening.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHX3wU5w5s0Utj4pIDRxI74VFMnE-_p9cmFmVJ402nCnq6j9JLW9O7PZ3xvu86GNeqZoJk3M4rGMitbgUDeuFfu5jjNnYSocXzDJzzoEiCYubE6F_ldZUbHim8kYVZ8dBo9W8gxYYMnGu/s1600/ijag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHX3wU5w5s0Utj4pIDRxI74VFMnE-_p9cmFmVJ402nCnq6j9JLW9O7PZ3xvu86GNeqZoJk3M4rGMitbgUDeuFfu5jjNnYSocXzDJzzoEiCYubE6F_ldZUbHim8kYVZ8dBo9W8gxYYMnGu/s320/ijag.png" width="320" /></a>You got pwned by someone.<br />
<br />
So what.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Something unfair happened.<br />
<br />
So what.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Someone is trying to get at you.<br />
<br />
So what.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
We play games for lots of reasons, most importantly to be happy. I don't think anyone plays games, or does anything, to frustrate or irritate themselves.<br />
<br />
Being angry will never get you anywhere or do you any good. Ever. So be happy instead, it'll do you a lot more good.<br />
<br />
Remember that when you start feeling the rage building up inside you.<br />
<br />
You should always be conscious of how you're feeling. If you are aware of harmful negative feelings rising up, you'll be more equipped to get rid of them or shrug them off, and continue being happy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/05/youre-in-control.html">You're in control</a> of your emotions. Don't let them consume you. That leads to the Dark Side. To Gamer Rage.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Remember to have fun.<br />
<br />
Learn to laugh at what's happening rather than yelling at it.<br />
<br />
Someone greased you in an online game.<br />
<br />
So what.<br />
<br />
It happens to everyone.<br />
<br />
YOU ARE NOT THE BEST PLAYER EVER. YOU WILL LOSE NOW AND THEN.<br />
<br />
Don't be mad about it, laugh at how you got smoked, respawn, and hop back in the fray.<br />
<br />
Single player game getting to you?<br />
<br />
Pause the game.<br />
<br />
Simmer down.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Try again.<br />
<br />
If it's still getting to you, <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/difficulty-situation.html">change the difficulty</a>, you'll be happier.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
Once we've conquered our own Gamer Rage, then we can start to help vanquish the Gamer Rage in others.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
Breathe.<br />
<br />
<br />
Want more resources on how to improve your satisfaction with your own life and be happier?<br />
<br />
Explore one of my biggest inspirations for this blog: <a href="http://zenhabits.net/">Zenhabits.net</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577314808/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1577314808" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1577314808&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=itsjuaga-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a></div>Or check out this life changing book, The Power of Now. I own it. I've read it. I would be a much less happy person without it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577314808/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=itsjuaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1577314808">The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577314808&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=itsjuaga-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577314808&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/s/noscript?tag=itsjuaga-20" alt="" /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; </noscript>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-79513598282112654722011-07-08T14:33:00.004-05:002011-07-09T17:01:00.513-05:00Lessons From Yoda Applied to Gaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://zonamasekot.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/jedi_vs_sith_by_ado_ceric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://zonamasekot.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/jedi_vs_sith_by_ado_ceric.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>"Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side" - Obi Wan</b></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The other day my roommate and I were talking about how good our friend is at Halo Reach, but that he also rages like a madman while he plays it.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Maybe that's where he gets his power" said my roommate sarcastically. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It hit me. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Who else gets their power from anger and hate? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sith. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That's right, people who Gamer Rage are like the Sith. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm sure when they first started gaming they weren't filled with anger, but as time went on their skill with games grew. As their skill grew their pension for anger grew. Because they're so good they feel extra angry when they do bad or things don't go their way. Their skill and their rage are connected. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dlM3sHiMT0&t=1m29s">This is you when you rage.</a></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Yes, if you suck at a game it might upset you, but not nearly as much if you cared about the game a lot and considered yourself a skilled player, as most Ragers. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If gamers who <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/07/quest-for-cure.html">suffer from Gamer Rage</a> are like the Sith, then what are we, the Knights in the Army Against Rage? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Duh, we're the Jedi. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We can still kick ass, but we don't resort to anger and rage to fuel our gameplay. It is our duty to keep peace in the gaming community and do our best to quell any upsurges of rage that we encounter. We need to turn the Ragers back to the light side. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiuXkn9lCZ_A2d-2JxStCZVwxbiQbndmgl1tsKNx0Q6LdX14tqjMW8l0AH9AMs5_XHaWdt4Q0xEUz3WsSMQP1IIQtmkPDt12K3aZha_E7DWDPK_EXlO8CrZ9WdVK6rjNZWKVa3RpuI3AI/s1600/yoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiuXkn9lCZ_A2d-2JxStCZVwxbiQbndmgl1tsKNx0Q6LdX14tqjMW8l0AH9AMs5_XHaWdt4Q0xEUz3WsSMQP1IIQtmkPDt12K3aZha_E7DWDPK_EXlO8CrZ9WdVK6rjNZWKVa3RpuI3AI/s320/yoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let's apply some lessons from Yoda to our cause as Knights against Rage. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"></span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Source: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace">"<i style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.</i>"</span>―Yoda</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>Fear:</b> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What fear you say? Although it might not be the kind of fear you'd feel if a wampa was about to make you his lunch, fear is the path to Gamer Rage, to the Dark Side.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You fear losing. You fear not being the best. You fear screwing up. You fear making a fool of yourself. You fear coming in last. You fear failure. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And like Yoda says, this fear leads to anger, anger at the game you're playing, at the situation you're in. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anger leads to hate, hate for the other players in the game, for the people who made the game, or the game itself. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hate leads to suffering. You suffer from a lack of happiness. Those around you suffer. The players you interact with suffer. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You have gone to the Dark Side.</span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Source: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith">"<i style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.</i>"</span>―Yoda to Anakin Skywalker</span></blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I guess Anakin didn't take Yoda's advice. Look how he ended up. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What do you fear to lose in your games? Success? Wins? A good K:D? If you let go of that, you've taken a step away from the Dark Side, away from raging, and towards being happy and enjoying your games and your life more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What happens to the Sith? They turn on each other. Their lust for power and their rage and hate always corrupt them and end them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don't let that happen to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stay on the light side. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you know someone who has gone to the dark side, or is teetering on the edge, reach out with the force (or just with friendship or something like that) and pull them back to the light side. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Games are one of the most powerful ways to attain true happiness*, and they're squandering that with their anger and rage. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
<br />
<blockquote><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Source: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"<i style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Destroy the Sith, we must.</i>"</span></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">―Yoda</span> </blockquote></blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">They must realize that the path they're on won't lead them anywhere but to destruction. In most cases this destruction is simply the loss of happiness and positive emotions, which are essential to having a fulfilling life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">So are you with me?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are you a Jedi? A Knight against Rage? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Or are you a Sith? A Rager? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you want to become a Knight in the Army Against Rage, <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/quest-hub.html">follow the instructions here</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy you game. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*I’ve been reading the amazing book Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal.<o:p></o:p></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-48926343151117591342011-07-01T12:16:00.000-05:002011-07-01T12:16:59.267-05:00The Quest for a Cure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIt2R-pCMoj7GQ_FC8E6Vt43QdaLt_Vdy560L6uCMAk0KD2gYHs4EKj96AXmb43fg1zZh0WYkRKZXYz0VE4RZgE3OHKO6or1fteb4nvCzFAOoKz35gkTl5znZ9KGKLknW8ngveLsrxYK5/s1600/ijag2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIt2R-pCMoj7GQ_FC8E6Vt43QdaLt_Vdy560L6uCMAk0KD2gYHs4EKj96AXmb43fg1zZh0WYkRKZXYz0VE4RZgE3OHKO6or1fteb4nvCzFAOoKz35gkTl5znZ9KGKLknW8ngveLsrxYK5/s200/ijag2.png" width="200" /></a></div>A very close friend of mine has a serious condition. I grow more concerned every time I see this condition flare up. <br />
<br />
He has been living with it for a very long time. With your support, we can cure him and the multitude of others who share his terrible condition.<br />
<br />
It's Just a Game is dedicating itself to completely eliminating this awful affliction.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>I'm going to need your help.</b><br />
<br />
This condition is called Ira Feras* which is Latin for: the wrath of wild beasts, or more simply, Gamer Rage.<br />
<br />
Although many are oblivious to it's terrible effects, in reality it is very serious. It affects one of the most vital aspects of a person's life and well-being; their happiness.<br />
<br />
This affliction blinds a player to the fun aspects of a game, drawing the afflicted's focus only to things that they can get frustrated at, complain about, insult, or rage at. This makes it nearly impossible for them to enjoy themselves, which defeats the point of playing video games.<br />
<br />
Through my research and experiences (I used to be a victim of GR myself) I have discovered some things to look out for.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of Gamer Rage include, but are not limited to:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Yelling at the game</li>
<li>Yelling at other players</li>
<li>Yelling at the developers of the game for making a bad game</li>
<li>Sarcastically thanking either the game itself or the developers for something unfortunate that just happened</li>
<li>Squeezing the controller in frustration</li>
<li>Quitting the game in rage and or fury (both in unison can be a very harmful combination)</li>
<li>Throwing the controller any amount of distance</li>
<li>Angry or exasperated sighs</li>
<li>Team killing other players in the game if possible because they are "Not doing good enough" or some other excuse</li>
<li>Assumptions that everyone else in the game must just be terrible, and the player (the gamer rager) is really the only skilled player in the game. "I must be the only person who knows how to play this." "Why are you even playing this game?!"</li>
<li>Profuse swearing</li>
<li>Cranial combustion*</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
If you see a friend exhibiting any of the symptoms of GR, or you suspect they might have contracted GR, talk to them right away.<br />
<br />
Tell them they need to stop. <b>Raging does no one any good.</b><br />
<br />
It is very important that you help them to realize how they've been acting towards video games. Let them know that it isn't healthy to be so angry at something so trivial. They play games for the joy of it, and raging gets in the way of that.<br />
<br />
The effects of Gamer Rage are far reaching.<br />
<br />
Gamer Rage can affect those in close proximity to the rager. It is difficult to be around someone demonstrating effects of Gamer Rage. It is hard for people to see friends and loved ones, people who can be so kind, overcome by the terrible effects GR.<br />
<br />
Gamer Rage can also potentially affect people from any corner of the world. With online gaming (the main cause of Gamer Rage) allowing players all over the world to interact, Gamer Rage can affect virtually anyone, anywhere, making it all the more contagious.<br />
<br />
<b>Gamer Rage has gone unchallenged for far too long.</b><br />
<br />
We must take it upon ourselves to combat this terrible affliction that ails so many of our fellow gamers, our friends.<br />
<br />
We must let those who perpetuate Gamer Rage to realize the error of their ways and to make the world gaming a better, happier place.<br />
<br />
We must show by example that games are nothing to rage about, rather that we should always do our best to enjoy them no matter the circumstances.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHX3wU5w5s0Utj4pIDRxI74VFMnE-_p9cmFmVJ402nCnq6j9JLW9O7PZ3xvu86GNeqZoJk3M4rGMitbgUDeuFfu5jjNnYSocXzDJzzoEiCYubE6F_ldZUbHim8kYVZ8dBo9W8gxYYMnGu/s1600/ijag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHX3wU5w5s0Utj4pIDRxI74VFMnE-_p9cmFmVJ402nCnq6j9JLW9O7PZ3xvu86GNeqZoJk3M4rGMitbgUDeuFfu5jjNnYSocXzDJzzoEiCYubE6F_ldZUbHim8kYVZ8dBo9W8gxYYMnGu/s320/ijag.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>A life full of happiness and enjoyment far outweighs a life full of rage and frustration.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Recruit your friends to this cause</b>, send them here if you don't feel like trying to convince them yourself. Let them know that we're out here, and we care. We want a <b>world without Gamer Rage</b>. A world where you can sit down and be happy with a game.<br />
<br />
Spread the IJAG cause. Spread GR awareness.<br />
<br />
<b>We want to enjoy our games.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>We want to enjoy our lives.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>We want everyone to</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you want to join the Quest for a Cure get in contact with me. I'm going to set up a roster of everyone who joins the Quest. We can build an army against the forces of Rage.<br />
<br />
This is a very serious quest with potentially drastic outcomes if we can succeed.<br />
<br />
We need to build our army for this quest.<br />
<br />
<b>Are you in?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/contact.html">You can contact me here.</a><br />
<br />
More posts on the Quest to come.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Just in case you were wondering: I did try to make this article a bit funny, if not even slightly satirical, but I am also very serious about all of this.<br />
<br />
I want to eliminate Gamer Rage.<br />
<br />
This Quest is for real and I'm embarking on it. I'd be an honor if you'd join me.<br />
<br />
<br />
*Ok I made up that latin stuff.<br />
<br />
*This symptom has not yet been observed, but it is theorized that if one's gamer rage is left unchecked and unstopped, cranial combustion could occur. </div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-60188468835470583532011-06-22T16:30:00.003-05:002011-06-22T20:33:26.313-05:00Why do you Love Gaming?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlHy11H9-1qfqjIBRH4YS_j_qqtVtFCs0FT0cWGis7seH5gm7sduWyIR9wiN0OssW9Qv7mHRJ-Dger5ulvUQq9o4FAP05TjELY-a3OVsD4oKDMAEGrcK9VKHDG2sB9PB_z2EYlva1YWVO/s1600/heartris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlHy11H9-1qfqjIBRH4YS_j_qqtVtFCs0FT0cWGis7seH5gm7sduWyIR9wiN0OssW9Qv7mHRJ-Dger5ulvUQq9o4FAP05TjELY-a3OVsD4oKDMAEGrcK9VKHDG2sB9PB_z2EYlva1YWVO/s1600/heartris.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Gaming is awesome. We all know this.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's my favorite hobby. I consider myself a pretty big gamer. I have a blog about gaming after all. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm quite passionate about gaming. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm sure you too have at least some passive interest in gaming or you wouldn't be here reading this. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before now I've always known I loved gaming, but have never actually given much thought into why. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have you? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let's take a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDM4jPJZ8n4">trip back in time...</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://vglounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mr__caffeine_by_deaniac-d3ia4wl-300x200.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://vglounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mr__caffeine_by_deaniac-d3ia4wl-300x200.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When did you start playing video games? At a young age? Or relatively recently? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Did you grow up with games in the house? Or were you like me when I was younger and only got to get your hands on a controller now and then? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As far as I can remember, the first console game I ever played was Mario Kart 64. I'm sure most of you were into video games long before me, but this is my gaming origins story. My brother and I would always play Mario Kart 64 (and sometimes Rush) whenever we visited my aunt and uncle. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbdFtGK9UKoYI2yRc9iiwJhC4izw-5ZijmmRmyFwPjsW-8PbKZj1wZnRkQTVVIyOiYZCJniIFelsoG-GWlzXvrbQwjDDSPS0Z0SD-SrJvpGzngND3DqdtCQCTComCAV4Qh7d08YJcfeib/s1600/mario.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbdFtGK9UKoYI2yRc9iiwJhC4izw-5ZijmmRmyFwPjsW-8PbKZj1wZnRkQTVVIyOiYZCJniIFelsoG-GWlzXvrbQwjDDSPS0Z0SD-SrJvpGzngND3DqdtCQCTComCAV4Qh7d08YJcfeib/s320/mario.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">It was awesome. I was young, but I knew that this was something great.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5C5hCypT64"> time passes by</a> and now my brothers and I have an original Xbox (that my parent's insist stays at Grandma's). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What was the first console that you ever had? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">With our Xbox came a lot of games that I loved then and still do: Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2, Star Wars Republic Commando, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic to name a few (Yes I'm a Star Wars fan). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That video games could take something I already was a huge fan of and pull me in even more was wonderful. Gone were the days of playing with Star Wars action figures or running around with lightsabers. Ok fine, I still have action figures and lightsabers. But video games let me actually be a part of the Star Wars universe. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was great. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What game, or games, from your gaming beginning really made you love gaming even more than you already had. What game made you realize that video games were more than just kid's toys? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In high school I went to some Halo 2 system link parties. This exposed me to how awesome video games were as far as the social aspect went. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Video games are a lot of fun when <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/02/importance-of-playing-with-friends.html">played with friends</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It just took off from there as I got my hands on greater and greater games. As I matured I realized the <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/p/art-and-stuff.html">artistic</a> power of games. I was overcome by the <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/in-game-family.html">emotional power</a> of games. I loved books as a kid and video games showed me a whole new medium for great <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/03/get-lost-in-game.html">storytelling</a>. (I still love books.) And I began to realize how gaming can <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/save-world.html">make the world better</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, video games are a damn fun way to spend your time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So why do you love video games? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy your game. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-6816844532471933372011-06-20T15:40:00.000-05:002011-06-20T15:40:47.367-05:00I would love your feedback.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/456878-ultimate_game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/456878-ultimate_game.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I would appreciate it so much if you took a minute or two to fill out this survey.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>There's only 6 questions. It'll make me happy. <script language="javascript" src="http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/Embed/WEB22CKSE9Y3TM/" type="text/javascript">
</script><noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.zoomerang.com/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Online Surveys&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
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</div><div></div></div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-65742536900772126072011-06-13T20:48:00.001-05:002011-06-13T20:49:00.415-05:00Were you even Listening? Game Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYufjR3uexhGOm8l1lBT3tXjNdsBjptAV9KDHdjxOC-dlxmuZwPZqnqdBY7n6rlTJ3GI-EG1MZHjAXD6586fcCT7s1oCgp6goZB29SsMhJ5woRdqSbJk3HX6losWtrHo7GSuqEMTYq-NT/s1600/listen+to+this+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYufjR3uexhGOm8l1lBT3tXjNdsBjptAV9KDHdjxOC-dlxmuZwPZqnqdBY7n6rlTJ3GI-EG1MZHjAXD6586fcCT7s1oCgp6goZB29SsMhJ5woRdqSbJk3HX6losWtrHo7GSuqEMTYq-NT/s200/listen+to+this+page.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">You like music right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sure you do. Who doesn’t like music? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And of course you like video games or you probably wouldn’t be gracing me with your presence on this site. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How often do you pay attention to those two art forms together? They almost always are. Of course there’s music without video games, but I’ll be damned if there’s a video game without music in it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all know about the Mario theme song, and the Halo theme, but there’s so much more to video game music. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Music does so much for a game. It sets the mood. It plays on your emotions. I can pump you up or make you want to shrivel up in a corner when it's combined with the gameplay properly.<br />
<br />
Next time you’re playing a game, go into the settings and turn the music volume to zero. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s rather shit now isn’t it?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.thebigpixels.com/musings/2011/5/20/the-importance-of-the-soundtrack-in-video-games.html">Music drives games. </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The right music means everything. It can make a game one of the most intense and scariest you’ve ever played, or just the silliest. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Case in point: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OJbG_yjbBk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OJbG_yjbBk</a> (Link is probably NSFW)<br />
<br />
Music makes all the difference. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Appreciate the music of the game the way you <a href="http://www.itsjustagame.net/2011/04/beauty-of-sunset.html">appreciate the artwork of the game</a>. Let it soak into your gaming experience. Be more aware of the music in your games and they'll become even better experiences. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Someone worked damn hard to bring you that music. I’m sure they’d appreciate it if you turned your attention away from the action to hear their work if only for a short while. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Let's try something.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pull the music out of the game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pick your favorite game. Now go find its soundtrack. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Got it? Good. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now that you have it, pick one track and just listen to it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Just close your eyes and listen. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If your mind starts to wander, tell it to pay attention to the music. You can manage to do this for just one track. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How was that? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Refreshing? Relaxing? Exciting? Or A waste of your time? I hope it was worth it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another thing you can do with your new music is use it to help you focus. Unlike what you just did before, this time you can just let the music fill up the background while you work on something. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">No lyrics to draw your mind from the task at hand. Just let the music drive you through your work like it drives you through your games. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy your game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Enjoy the music.</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy your life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjollpfi6uNG-KwQLVt2FSnVdZI9N2HqTQ507LjcjVnpVQqATIxfqiInKgZVITOfInhfCvwlSgwxv88AhiLjF4TSQd3a2joHSxO0He1yhspA_JEtEMkqVuo0_3fcrltHehW6PdFU-zTm6kd/s1600/Mass-Effect-2-Afterlife.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjollpfi6uNG-KwQLVt2FSnVdZI9N2HqTQ507LjcjVnpVQqATIxfqiInKgZVITOfInhfCvwlSgwxv88AhiLjF4TSQd3a2joHSxO0He1yhspA_JEtEMkqVuo0_3fcrltHehW6PdFU-zTm6kd/s320/Mass-Effect-2-Afterlife.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Soundtracks I listen to: </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Mass Effect </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Mass Effect 2</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yZJZKk6dj8k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Red Dead Redemption</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Machinarium</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Inception</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tron: Legacy</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Revenge of the Titans</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Super Meat Boy</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, video game fan made music is fun too. ;)</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1412164240"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2eLGKNVdnYO0doRCmdjlN2o-dkuXbiUkyBAsHJWuYld_31ulYm8Rf3_nT9apr58ofo-L52GMnHk42dB74Uwyj_UNdSd2NnB_2nEWbDLg52cw5mIBIHp5Wa6Qm3P-X8gMn020Eg-byqEG/s200/Commander-Shepard-Trollface.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mouseandboard.com/gamers-own-miracleofsounds-commander-shepard-mass-effect-song/#comment-287">Click Me for Epic Song</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108010857574634155.post-26755291631683404492011-06-06T21:46:00.002-05:002011-06-08T11:45:05.602-05:00E3 Excitement! (And Mass Effect 3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRYG2xrGDy1IGTSBZ9BxJayK5fwVGB9VpPu5PQ-qzA5VuePA34_ox66jxBtarcc7Tms0oQ0q1ZSbTPk2liABaeotUwKOin7ATW8kh-G2-999ozanwmXMJ-vwAVjpEA6S20Vvv0kV0Y1Yh/s1600/e3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRYG2xrGDy1IGTSBZ9BxJayK5fwVGB9VpPu5PQ-qzA5VuePA34_ox66jxBtarcc7Tms0oQ0q1ZSbTPk2liABaeotUwKOin7ATW8kh-G2-999ozanwmXMJ-vwAVjpEA6S20Vvv0kV0Y1Yh/s200/e3.png" width="168" /></a></div>Well friends, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is here and its first day of press conferences and reveals is over.<br />
<br />
I was watching Game Trailer's livestream of E3 from 11 until about 7 o'clock today.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you, I've had as much Kinect news and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQmvy_HAkA&feature=watch_response_rev">Mr. Caffeine</a> as I can stand in one day. <br />
<br />
But all in all it was a great day. For a few reasons.<br />
<br />
I got to watch it all with friends who shared my excitement about everything.<br />
<br />
We got to see some Gears of War 3 in action. The demo was a bit underwhelming, but whatever, we've already played in the beta, we know what to expect already.<br />
<br />
I was pleased to see an extensive demo of The Darkness II, a sequel to one of my favorite games. I will surely be keeping my eye on it.<br />
<br />
I'm super excited for Assassin's Creed Revelations. It looks awesome.<br />
<br />
oh.<br />
<br />
and one more thing...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">MASS EFFECT 3!</span><br />
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<br />
<br />
I like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQmvy_HAkA&feature=watch_response_rev">Mass Effect</a>. Can you tell?<br />
<br />
Scratch that, I LOVE Mass Effect, not in the same way I love my girlfriend, or my family, but I'm sure you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
I've been with Mass Effect since the beginning and I'll be with it to the end.<br />
<br />
I was so excited to see all of the new footage and information about Mass Effect 3 today I didn't want to blink.<br />
<br />
Are you like this about any game?<br />
<br />
C'mon don't be shy, it's nothing to be ashamed of.<br />
<br />
I think it's great to have a game that can get you excited. A game that keeps you thinking about it even when you're not playing it.<br />
<br />
Getting excited about things is great, it doesn't matter what it is. Excitement is awesome. When you're excited about something you're on top of the world, nothing can bring you down.<br />
<br />
Excitement is like happiness on crack, and happiness is what life is all about (not crack).<br />
<br />
So tell me, what game gets you excited like nothing else?<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoy the rest of E3.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your game.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your life.<br />
<br />
<b>Get excited!</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh, and one more thing that's really damn neat, Mass Effect 3's release date is 3-6-12. That's my birthday!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK4tCbQNC1Pg9lefm-kUtWpYgmqNgVYB4k3i87wHMSme4wp2Sdk09p-pIk5VqTemUibQoexYD3viecmpVoBmzMJ8xwSOFtufTf5mr7phqSICRusKxkSDyysCoZsgKkFsuvfqvSfCsuAKk/s1600/screenshot-001-kaidan_shepard_liara-p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK4tCbQNC1Pg9lefm-kUtWpYgmqNgVYB4k3i87wHMSme4wp2Sdk09p-pIk5VqTemUibQoexYD3viecmpVoBmzMJ8xwSOFtufTf5mr7phqSICRusKxkSDyysCoZsgKkFsuvfqvSfCsuAKk/s400/screenshot-001-kaidan_shepard_liara-p.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div>RogueLieutenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07757775514357794330noreply@blogger.com1