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STATE OF THE UNION

Just a Quick Hit

Tue, 24th April 2007
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: DICE WARS! | no thanks: Whoever is holding up the Australian release of the PSP edition of Puzzle Quest.

Accessibility. Generally when we use the word in the context of gaming we are talking about how easy a game is to get into, are the controls intuitive, is there a gentle learning curve to pave the way for greater depth of play when the basics are mastered and so on. One aspect of accessibility we rarely seem to talk about is how accessible a game is in terms of its fit with our life-style. Sure every person's different so I'm not suggesting a new review philosophy for gaming media. I'm really only raising the issue because I've realised there is a massive hole in my PC games collection that, if filled, would be the perfect fit for a lifestyle that so often seems out of my control; a lifestyle where I often find myself with only an hour or so to amuse myself before I have to race off to do something else. Where are my quick fix games?

STATE OF THE UNION

I Told You So...

Mon, 16 April 2007
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: He told you so too. | thanks: The weekend's AFL matches for putting me at the top of the local pub tipping comp.

While I have no official statistics to back the following statement the analytics department of my mind recently filed a report to my frontal lobe suggesting that 98.5% of the time it is a very satisfying feeling being right when someone acts against your best advice. I did have some difficulty believing that there was a 1.5% chance of that situation not being satisfying but I looked at it as nothing more than a statistical aberration, an error margin or some other funky sounding statistics word that I don't really know the meaning of. Anyway, the other day I found myself in such a situation where being right was no fun and it all relates to my recent foray into the land of Vista.

STATE OF THE UNION

Cold Feet and Dual Boots

Wed, 11 April 2007
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: You can dual boot too. | thanks: The idiot who forgot to buy a new SATA cable when he picked up his new HDD. Oh wait... that was me. Thanks me.

So today is the big day. I've been putting it off for some time and like a blushing young bride on her own big day. My tootsies have been getting a little chilly and it has nothing to do with the Melbourne weather. No, no. I'm not getting married and I'm certainly not a bride ... nor blushing. No, today is the day I embark on that journey that most PC owners dread yet secretly look forward to. I'm upgrading my OS. That's right. I'm making the move to Vista... sort of.

STATE OF THE UNION

I Only Have Myself to Blame...

Tue, 10 April 2007
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Collecting gets you the ladies. | thanks: The 1542 copies of Command & Conquer Kane Edition pressed before mine.

It is time to face facts. I'm a magpie. By that I don't mean that I'm a supporter of Collingwood in the AFL, no matter how much the very thought of that may bring joy to the lives of my dear mother and father. No, what I mean to say is that like the black and white bird that was the bane of so many walks home from the bus stop as a child, I like shiny things; especially when it comes to games and the collectors editions thereof.

STATE OF THE UNION

Why do we help them?

Wed, 4 October 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: How MMOs will change our world. | no thanks: Media Beat-ups

So last night was the screening of the hotly anticipated A Current Affair article on problem gaming. If you missed it then here is the low down. A school drop-out spends 12 to 16 hours a day playing World of Warcraft. An obviously frazzled mother stands as a 'helpless victim' of the evil piece of software that is 'tearing her family apart'. Of course at no point did ACA have the gumption to ask the mother why she simply hasn't stopped paying for his net connection, PC or WoW subscription if the problem is as bad as she says it is. Considering parental responsibility is rapidly waning as a popular cause in the face of so many easier targets to attack, this game 'beat-up' is hardly a surprise in a world where it is McDonald's fault our kids are fat. However I'm not here to pick on the lack of journalistic integrity displayed by Channel Nine and the ACA team. No, today I want to turn the mirror on the gaming community for a moment and comment on the knuckle-headedry (Yes, I know it isn't a word) it can exhibit any time our hobby finds itself in the limelight for less than favourable reasons.