Without a community, a game is nothing.
Feb 28, 2008 Games
I’ve found my game-screen shots folder on my computer. Star wars, Ever Quest II and World of Warcraft.
I’m not sure if there are a few who’ll understand the emotion, but going through the Star Wars screen shots was a lot like going through images of someone near and dear that had long passed on. I remembered the community, the spirit, I remembered the wide-eyed way I approached the game and the hours of wonderful role play that, as months flew by and the game aged, helped me see past out-dated graphics as well as the things the developers had done to the game. And then I remembered that, for me, it’s pretty much passed on into the great Geek memory of has-beens.
As is usual with many MMORPG’s, the game changed, the community drifted. Time passed, people stopped playing and moved on to other, newer games with shinier graphics–leaving empty servers and a plethora of idiots using their two week free trial.
But I honestly think that I will not find another community in a game quite like the community of role players and players I found in Star Wars galaxies. Here was a game in a genre that just didn’t appeal to the young just discovering the internet or a certain genre–no–here was a game that appealed to all ages. You could be playing beside a sixty year old or a fifteen year old–bridging an age gap few games today, in my opinion, have been able to do or recreate. Never have I come across a group of ‘well spoken’ people, nor such (at the time of its hay day) a large group of role players in a game that actually role played well.
City wide story lines propelled by player and game made props, hundreds of people showing up to events, several hundreds, if not thousands of objects such as clothing, homes and home decor to appease those obsessed–or simply concerned–with creating a good setting and character environment. Buildings and vehicles, customization that, while limited, mixed and matched together could at least, create a few bumps in the mundane of cut-out character avatars.
And I’ve yet to come across a game that has remotely touched upon such things.
Without a large portion of the original community that once backed the game, it has become a smaller galaxy. New characters (when I picked the game up again) were not as welcomed nor accepted. Role play was more difficult or as rare as legible typing. Leveling up and PVP seemed more interesting to newer players than fiddling with the ten thousand things that made the game encompassing.
SWG lost something vital when it lost the community, and I am done being bitter toward SOE over its decisions in handling the game–because I’m done with the game. But, as I said, going through the screen shots today aroused some of that old longing–for a game that could do the same thing SWG did in its hayday. To draw me in and keep me playing well past when I should have gone to bed. To make me feel like my spent money was worth it. To entertain me and give me a few moments out of the mundane to feel extraordinary.
Many of the new games I am beta testing today would do well to look at Star Wars: Galaxies during its height of popularity. Many games should also take a moment to learn as well as understand SOE’s mistakes that brought down a game that should have been legendary. I hope that the new games I am looking at will take note; fancy graphics, smooth play, in dept story line and originality is all fine and good–but without your community, a game is nothing.
Yes. I did just ramble on about a massively multi player role playing game. Tune in next week, when I waste another of your precious life’s moments going on about drow. Or lolcats. Or loldrow.
Star Wars: Galaxies   |
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Tags: MMORPG
Good Night.
Feb 27, 2008 Pets & Animals
Three years ago, January 2005 we came home with two hamsters we thought were little boys. Admittedly, we did the incorrect thing by trusting whomever worked at the shop to look at the hamster and sex them.
When we brought them home, we realized what we had were a girl and a boy. We separated them and hoped for the best. We named the female Mrs. Edwina Buttons and the male, Gnaws.
Some people would say ‘unfortunately,’ I think, ‘fortunately’, the female hamster was pregnant and she gave birth to five healthy pups. After the birth of her five pups, we started calling Mrs. Buttons, Momma.
She had three girls and two boys. We did attempt at first to contact people we thought might be interested in hamsters, but Shawn and I knew that there were so many out there that we’d not be able to give them away. So after one month, off we went to the pet store to purchase five more cages. Siberian hamsters are too territorial to live together, so we had to separate them as soon as they were old enough.
We named the five babies: Darth Diggius, Baby Screamer, Captain Pudgysticks, Senator Squeakatine and baby One-Ear.
They chewed on everything voraciously, ran in their wheels at three in the morning when we tried to sleep–and squeaked to one another often. They were terribly cute and filled our lives with laughter.
Last night, after three years of age (incredibly old for a hamster,) Baby One-Ear, the last of the five babies, passed away. We buried him in a little box and put him with his four other brothers and sisters.
Good Night    |
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Thus ends the story of seven hamsters and two fat people. Good night, Baby One-Ear.
Tags: Pets
What’s for dinner?
Feb 26, 2008 Pets & Animals
Yeah, I got him out of there right quick…But I really could not resist a picture.
Dear slwatson
Feb 26, 2008 Photography & Digital Art
Corry by =EpicureanPoetry on deviantART
EDIT: I’ve added more detail to the hair, more highlights to his face, darker lines around here and there and some lines to his hoodie’s hood’s…seam, yo’.
Also, a little more tree detail. Not much. Uhhhhm. Yeah. I’m..really disappointed that I have to use a reference to draw everything now.
Fuck it. Let’s have some fun!
Feb 24, 2008 Games
Why is it that when we as humans are doing something recreational, such as games or role playing, we allow someone else to come along and shit all over what we are doing until it is not fun anymore?
Yes, I’m including myself in this philosophical question.
You’re having a blast, enjoying yourself–maybe you’re playing World of Warcraft, Guild wars, maybe you’re role playing in an AOL chat room, maybe you’re gaming with a bunch of buds around the dining room table. You could be LARPING your troll with a bunch of your favorite geeks in the woods some where or even posting to your favorite live journal community–then it happens. Some asshole who isn’t a newb, just an asshole, comes along and shits the place up.
Either that guy at your D&D session intentionally made snide remarks or messed up your living room, or that crazy stalker bitch found your AOL SN some how and now you’ve got to put her back on ignore; or some idiot keeps spamming /duel over and over and do not get your constant no’s and setting to auto-reject duels as a clue-by-four.
And your spirits plummet. You’re cranky, bitchy and all around disheartened with your favorite hobby to the point that you’re asking yourself: Why the fuck should I continue playing? I can’t believe this shit!
That’s when we’ve let them under our skin. The idiots who are out to fuck with whatever fun we’re having. The people who secretly adore making sure that whomever isn’t down and wallowing in their bitter mud soon will be. We’ve allowed some penis smegma to ruin the game, whatever it may be, for us.
Why?
Why can’t we just click the ignore, the report, contact the admin, the GM, block, sign online invisible, boot the problem player, and stop inviting the snide cleric that keeps leaving greasy Doritos stains on our couch?
I can almost hear the round of But Mel, it’s just not that simple!
And I say to you and to myself: Outside of situations where legal actions need to take place? Bullshit. That’s what I say!
Why can’t it be that simple? The mantra I have been constantly repeating to myself and attempting to uphold since I ‘discovered’ it for myself is this: The only person who can ruin my fun is myself. Straight forward and simple.
Sure, greasy dorito finger’s did do something he wasn’t supposed to do. Sure, it’s annoying when creepy people do creepy things and yeah–I hate idiots. But am I really going to give them this sort of power over my life, my hobbies, my fun as to take it from me? Am I willing to give up something I love just for some assholes who can’t stand it when someone else is having a ball?
No. Outside of the alarming, super illegal-came-to-my-house-and-showed-up-with-sacrificed-goats, or found-my-phone-number-online and gotta-call-the-police sort of freaks, there isn’t a single, solitary need to allow these ass munches the satisfaction of poopcicling all over our snowy parade.
I’m tired of reading about the general populace of people who are blaming everyone but themselves for not having fun anymore. (Including myself!) I’m tired of having myself get hung up over whether or not I’m ‘good enough,’ for a hobby! or whether or not so-and-so is talking smack. And I’m especially tired of holding myself back because of a small group of shit-heads peeing near the parade route of fun-time.
So, I urge you to come with me, nay, frolic in this new found, “fuck it. I am not going to let someone ruin a hobby/game/role play/story line/piece of art/story/sweater I made, that I paid for/created/wrote/painted/knitted for fun. It’s up to ME to make whatever I do as enjoyable as possible. Starting today, I’m gonna do it!”
Cookies to the first minions–I mean, people who do. Let’s have some fun!
Myspace, take two. Or I eat my own words.
Feb 21, 2008 Personal
You may (or may not) remember that a year and a half (god, I can’t remember anything) I tried myspace. For all of an entire week before deleting it in a fit of disgust.
The spam was incredible, both in my e-mail and on the page I had, all over my blog and just…Augh.
Well, a year and a half later, it’s can still be pretty much AUGH! but I have picked it up again (much like facebook) to give it a second chance. Some things haven’t changed, but I distinctly remember not having much control over spam. It appears there are additional settings that can help a little bit in stopping your page from turning into free titty night.
That said, here is my myspace: http://www.myspace.com/elffu
Please feel free to add me, I’ll add you back! But don’t expect anything juicey to be posted there. Probably just reposts of my writing and photography. Besides, my live journal is for the juicy stuff. Like facial hair and how many time’s I’ve burnt myself with hot water. :p
