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CONTROLLED CHAOS

MMORPG? OMG STFU!

Tue, 31 October 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Live action role-playing games | thanks: the Rune of Holding

Holy crapsticks, has it really been over a month since I've last blogged? I mean, sure, I knew it was a while (thanks to all the forumers who constantly reminded me and my unforgivable tardiness), but this long? Well, best we remedy that then, and what better way than with an update to one of my previous blog entries.

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.

STATE OF THE UNION

Masters of Minimalism!

Tue, 3 October 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Bombs are scary. | thanks: Matthew Broderick for not blowing us all up.

So I've been playing DEFCON recently. It is hard to resist its simple gameplay, wonderful aesthetics and the sheer amount of fun that has been packed into every pixel. Introversion games are like that: basic gameplay hiding a wealth of options and depth. It is a feature that is reflected in their audio visual content as well. Introversion games are hardly going to be known for ground breaking graphics engines but smart graphic design and masterful audio design make their games some of the most artistically arresting of any on the PC.

CONTROLLED CHAOS

Darren's Mailbag

Fri, 22 September 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Claytons Bags | no thanks: a week-long bout of insomnia

Well, we haven't done this for a while. Darren's Mailbag returns, spurred back into being by Tuesday's blog post and the number of responses it generated. Please, come in, but remember to wipe your feet.

CONTROLLED CHAOS

Better To Have Played And Lost...

Tue, 19 September 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Moby Games | thanks: the urge to try something new

I love pizza, but I'm not sure I could eat it every day. Likewise, I love my first person shooters, my racers and my action games, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing. It's time for a change of pace, and since I'm too conservative to change my wardrobe, too wimpy to get a tattoo and too much of a tightwad to buy a midlife crisis car, I've decided to broaden my gaming horizons.