What Game are you Reading?

What Game are you Reading?

If you love a game series you owe it to yourself to read a book based on that game.

Remember books?

Think back, they used to make you read them back in high school and elementary school.

Starting to come back to you now?

Good. This post is about books.

But Joe! This blog is about video games! I don't want to read about books!

Too bad!

You're going to read about books and you're going to like it!

I love video games.

I also love books. 

I'll let you in on a secret. They write books based on video games.

What's your favorite game series?

Halo?

Mass Effect?

Gears of War?

Asssassin’s Creed?

Dead Space?

Resident Evil?

Star Craft?

Metal Gear Solid?

All of these have books. 

So many games now are getting counterpart novels. It’s great.

When was the last time you actually just sat down and read a book? 


I don't know about you, but the story is one of my favorite elements of a game. That's one of the reasons books compliment games so well. More story!

You can get lost in a game. Well books can do a pretty good job at pulling you in too.

Reading a book based in the world of one of your favorite games is fun. They can pull you deeper into the universe of the game. They can give you more back-story to help you appreciate the game even more.

Reading books based on games also gives you a lot more fanboy cred.

I am a huge Mass Effect fanboy, and a pretty big Gears of War fan too.

I've read all of the books for both of those fantastic series. (I've read the comics too. Comic books/graphic novels are awesome.)

Another great thing about books is that they're single player only. You're not going to turn a page and have a notification pop up telling you that 'so and so' invites you to his book. Thankfully books aren't at that point yet. Not that playing with friends is a bad thing, but we all need to have some time alone to get lost in something now and then.

Books are wireless! You can take them anywhere. Neat huh? Thought that was only for your handhelds didn't you? 

I challenge you to grab a book and take it down to a park, or a chill coffee shop, or anywhere peaceful you can find and read.

Just read.

Playing games for hours on end is awesome, but reading can be too.

Reading is calming.

Reading is relaxing.

Reading is exciting.

Reading is stimulating.

Reading is good for you.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy a book.

Enjoy your life.

Now if only you could get achievements for reading video game books.... One day...  

Cheetos Again?

Gamers tend to have a bad rep when it comes to health and snacking habits; long sessions fueled by Mt. Dew or Monster. Draining bags of chips in one sitting.

Is this you?

I haven’t always been the healthiest person either. I'm still not. 

I remember back in high school I went to a Video Game Design Camp. It was awesome. I had 2 cans of Rock Star energy a day and very little sleep. 

Holy shit right?

Not good.

I’ve never really bothered to care too much about what I eat.

“That’s for dramatic girls.” I always thought.

Well recently I’ve started gaining weight. I’m not happy about it. So I decided to make some changes in my life.

I absolutely refuse to eat at McDonalds, Burger King, or any places like that. When I get fast food it’s Subway, Pita Pit, Jimmy Johns, Quiznos, or something like that. Yum.

Instead of snacking on bags of chips I now reach for other things. Dried fruit is awesome. Trail mixes are yummy. (One of my favorites is one called Brotherhood Mix. I eat it while playing Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood while hanging out with my fraternity brothers. Maximum brotherhood!)

Nature Valley bars are awesome.

Instead of stocking my fridge with soda, I fill it with things like V8 (the good kind not the nasty shit), various kinds of bottled tea (Arizona RX Stress is my thing right now), or even just Gatorade. Opt for the stuff without high fructose corn syrup.

I’ve also recently started exercising thanks to Nerd Fitness. Hopefully by the end of the summer I’ll have my body back the way I want it.

You need to examine your own eating/snacking habits and decide if you need to make changes in your own life.

Can’t live without caffeine you say?

Bull shit.

Just to try it out, I decided to not have any caffeinated beverages during lent. I did without any problems.

After the first week you won’t even miss it.

Now I’ve decided to limit myself to only one caffeinated beverage a week. It’s my little weekly treat.

I want you to be happy.

Guess what.

Making progress towards being healthy makes you happy.

Trust me, I know firsthand.

I’m doing what I can to take steps towards being healthy, and you can too.

Healthiness is proportional with happiness.

So make a change.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life.

Ways to be You

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Suess


In my last post about personalization I talked about the importance of being individual and unique, but I didn't really touch on ways to do that. (I was stuck in a blizzard)

Whether it's in games or in real life you should always find ways to be you; to be unique.

You're not going to make any waves in this world if you blend into the crowd. You're special in your own way and you should find ways to express that.

When it comes to gaming there is an abundance of ways to be unique. While the things you do in games might not have the same impact as the things you can do in real life, they're still important.

One of the big things you can do, and almost certainly have already done, is make an online presence for yourself. The first step is picking a name. This is important. I use my name across everything I do online.

RogueLieutenant.

It's my Xbox Live gamertag, my PSN name (I never use it. ever.), my Steam name, my Twitter name, and  my name on any site I register on. It's useful and fun to have a name that persists across the web. This way you have your online persona.

Some may use this to be anonymous.

I don't.

I'm not hiding who I am. I don't need to.

I don't use my name to hide behind and antagonize people.

It's just my other name really. I'm Joe, but I'm also Rogue. It's nice to have.

So when you're choosing your name, think of it as your second name. Something you like; something that fits you.

Hopefully your name isn't something like this: xXSnIpEzxX420. Seriously. You can do better.

You're avatar is another good way to portray yourself. Whether it's your Xbox Live avatar, PSN Home, Mii, or whatever else you have. There's so many ways to be unique. You can showcase what games you love, what you like to do, or anything really. An avatar is another good way to personalize yourself in your online space.

I love games that allow for extensive customization and personalization. You feel better about playing as a character you personalized, than as one that looks the same as everyone else. This is because you like being you, not just like everyone else.

Hold on to that feeling when it comes to real life too.

Be you and not just like everyone else.

Find ways to be unique and express yourself.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life. 

Don't be a Dick.

You're not a dick.

At least I'm assuming you're not a dick. You've been nice enough to read this far already so you're pretty cool in my book.

Let’s say you're walking down the street and you see someone drop something, trip, or something like that.

What do you do?

I'm assuming you don't go up to them and laugh at them and mock them for failing. You might even go offer to help them.

Well then why should a game be any different?

If someone screws up in a game, more often than not he or she is criticized, laughed at, or made fun of rather than someone just telling them "It’s fine, we all make mistakes."

Why?

Why can't we be just as kind to others in games as we can be out in the real world? A big part of life is making others happy and feel good. The more you do this, the better you will end up feeling too.

You don't run around purposefully screwing with people in real life, so don't do it in a game.

People play games to have fun and enjoy themselves. Don't ruin it for them.

Make it even better for them if you can.

Would you rather be in a game where you have to deal with dicks, or a game where everyone is chill and just out to have a good time?

I'm hoping it’s the latter.

You should do what you can in life to be as happy as you can, unless making others unhappy is what makes you happy. Then don't do it. That’s a dick move.

Be nice to everyone you meet, be it in game or out.

Try to make them happier after having encountered you than they were before.

Enjoy your game.

Let others enjoy theirs.

Enjoy your life.

The Beauty of a Sunset

I live in North Dakota.

I have my whole life (aside from a year I lived in Germany).

There's not much to look at in North Dakota. You've seen one field you've seen 'em all.

But one thing North Dakota has going for it is its sunsets.

They're beautiful. They're awesome, in the archaic sense of the word.

The sky is painted by a thousand brushstrokes of pink and purple and hundreds of other colors that fall in between.

I suspect most people don't pay it any attention. It's as if someone held up a brand new masterpiece in front of you day after day. After a while most people just push it aside to carry on with their lives.

That's sad.

I would rather be awed by something I get to see all the time than bored by it. We all need to take time to appreciate the beauty around us.

It's there if you look.

The more places you can find beauty the more joy you’ll have, and the more content you'll be in your day to day life.

Look for beauty in the day to day.

That means video games too.

What got me thinking about all this was the Overlord DLC in Mass Effect 2. There is a point when you're driving around in a little hover tank when the tank's computer says: "Geographic conditions indicate an aesthetically pleasing view nearby. Organic life forms may wish to take note."

I took note all right. It was a great view.

I figured the artist, or artists as the case may be, probably didn't just want people zooming by and not looking at their wonderful work. And why shouldn't they? They put in a lot of good work into making the world of the game look wonderful.

Take the time to actually appreciate it.

When I play games I take time to look at the far away, not just what’s up close. It's often what's off in the distance that is the most beautiful and artistic.

Distant backdrops.

Mountains.

Sunsets.

An artist had to create these scenes, and what makes these more beautiful than just a portrait is that they are dynamic, not just static and unmoving. Often you can see it change over time, and I feel that that makes them better than any painting could ever be.

I find the sunsets in Red Dead Redemption to be particularly wonderful.

Just think of how much work must have been put into making that sunset. Incredible. 

Look for beauty in everything you encounter.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life. 

A Difficulty Situation

Just last night I had an experience that inspired me to write this post. No, I'm not bad at grammar. I wrote the title like that on purpose. This post is about difficulty settings in games.

I bought Dragon Age 2 the day it came out, but due to my STLF trip mentioned in my last post, I had about a 9 day break from playing it. Not long after I got back and finally had time to just sit down and lose myself in it, I found myself in a boss fight that I just couldn't get past. I repeatedly got my ass handed to me.

F*ck this guy.

It was getting irritating.

And I was only on the Normal difficulty setting.

I tried over and over again to emerge victorious but I could not. I stopped playing for the day and resumed the next day, still to no avail. It was looking as though I would have to turn the difficulty down to Casual in order to get past this boss.

In the end it's what I decided to do.

And I don't feel bad about it.

My roommate was very disappointed in me for giving in like that, but I had had enough. Dying over and over again was clashing with how I like to play my games; I like to enjoy them.

Losing over and over again isn't fun. I don't have a problem with turning the difficulty down on a game if it means I'll have less frustration and irritation in my life.

You shouldn't be afraid to turn the difficulty down in a game either. I want you to be happy, and if you're sitting there pulling your hair out in frustration, something can, and should, change.

One of my favorite elements of RPGs, and Bioware games in particular, is the story, and you'll still get the same story regardless of what difficulty you play on. You'll likely just have more fun and experience a story punctuated with less 'Game Over' screens if you play on a lower difficulty setting.

Some will argue that they like the challenge of playing a hard game, and that’s great, I do too now and then. I've beaten Mass Effect 1/2 on the hardest difficulties.

A game should always present you with some challenge, or else it won't feel as rewarding.

But for now, I plan on playing through Dragon Age 2 for its story and not for its challenge. When I play through it again and again, then I'll turn up the difficulty.

[Note: I did end up putting the difficulty back up to Normal after defeating the boss that was giving me trouble.]

Don't be afraid to turn down the difficulty if it means eliminating frustration from your life. 

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life.  

Personalization and a Blizzard.

To preface this post I would like to note that I wrote this on Friday the 11^th of March. It was the first day of my 2^nd STLF PIF tour. I didn’t bring my laptop along on the trip, so I wrote this post by hand. If you’re not familiar with STLF, follow this link. It is an incredible organization.

[Brackets indicate notes I’m making now and didn’t write by hand.]

Hello dear readers. I find myself in quite the scenario right now. I’m sitting on a charter bus with 42 other college students.

No big deal.

The thing is, we’ve been sitting on the side of the road for… 8 hours already? [9 total by the time we started moving again] There is a terrible blizzard that stuck us here, and apparently we’re not getting out until the National Guard comes in the morning. [In the end it took us 16 hours to drive from Fargo, ND to Bismarck, ND, normally a 3 hour drive. Yeah. Thanks winter]

So in the meantime, I thought I’d write out a new post.

I could probably write a whole blog post on just sitting in this bus, but that’s not what this blog is about. It’s about being happy and video games.

Who are you?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will surmise two things about the answer: 1: you’re cool because you’re reading this, and 2: you’re you.

No shit you say.

But think about it, you are you. You are no one else, so don’t try to be.

The cool thing about you (at least one of the cool things about you) is that you’re the only you in the whole world; and that’s pretty cool I think.

I also think it’s important for you to express yourself.

Luckily for us, more and more games these days allow for personalization. Personalizing your in-game persona is fun.

It’s likely not an accurate representation of yourself but why should it be?

Personalizing your character in a game is just another world in which you can be unique. And the more options you have for creativity in your life the better. Self expression is a wonderful thing, don't be afraid to express yourself in whatever ways you can. 

Being unique is a great thing. What’s the fun in being the same as everyone else?

Let me note though, that I feel that the level of personalization allowed in a game should be restricted to the setting of the game (so no rainbow afros in a serious setting, though I say serious, so that would be ok in CoD).

In any case our snowed in bus is finally moving again so I’ll leave you with this:

Be yourself no matter what.

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life.

Get lost in a Game

The joy of playing alone.

In my last post I spoke about the importance of sitting down with a friend and playing a game together. Today I'm going to write about why it can be a great experience just to sit down and play a game by yourself.

Before you accuse me of just promoting the opposite of what I talked about in my last post, let me clarify that this will be about single player games. Playing multiplayer games alone is never as fun or fulfilling than it is playing with someone you know.

Personally, I really enjoy a game that has a great single player experience; one that really pulls me into the world. My favorite games that do this include Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, and others.

Which games have you played that have really pulled you into the world?

I think that when you find a game that does this, it really changes the way you experience a game.

Reading is wonderful. A good book will pull you into it; keep you interested and intrigued.

A good game will do the same, but even more.

For if you were reading a book about someone experiencing an adventure, you're just a passive observer, watching the events unfold from beyond the page. 

A game can be so much more captivating because rather than observing the main character do amazing things, you ARE that character. You are the one making the decisions, moving the action forward. Once you let yourself become the character in the game, your experience will change. It will get even deeper. 

You need to go deeper. 

Play a game within a game within a game. Ha sorry, got distracted. 

Anyway, moving on...

It’s much more fun and rewarding to run across an alien planet or a fantasy world or  renaissance Italy than it is to sit on your couch and use your thumbs to control a fictional character into doing the same thing. 

 All of us need to find times when we can disconnect from the world and just relax and get taken away. Whether that means just napping, going for a walk, getting lost in a good book, or in this case, getting sucked into a good single player experience.

One way to help with this is to find a time where you likely won't be bothered by anyone. Turn off your phone or silence it if you need to. Also if you need to, disable any notifications that might distract you.

Now you can start your game and give it all of your focus.

If you can do this you will get the most out of the game.

Don't forget about reality though. Its nice. Set a timer, or give yourself a certain amount of time that you want to be disconnected. After that time is up, check for messages or anything important.

If you don't set a certain amount of time for yourself you could get sucked into the game forever! And then I would have to explain to your loved ones how I'm responsible for that... 

Reality can be wonderful, but sometimes we all just need to escape into a game and save the galaxy, dawn the robes of an assassin, or strap on our gunbelts.

Whatever it may be:

Enjoy your game.

Enjoy your life.