Entries by tag: gaming
My sweetie got me a copy of Horizon: Zero Dawn a couple of weeks ago, and I have been enthralled with it from the moment I put it in my PS4 and started playing. The writing is top-notch, the graphics are incredibly beautiful, and the game play is challenging without being brutal. But the thing that both impresses and entrances me the most is the protagonist, Aloy.
When most people think of action RPG main characters, what usually comes to mind is either the bland but still masculine dude (like Adam Jensen of Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Nathan Drake of the Uncharted series) or the hypercompetent, hypersexualized woman (like Lara Croft of Tomb Raider* or the eponymous PC in Bayonetta). Certainly there are exceptions—for instance, Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher series is certainly masculine, but no one would call him bland; and Samus Aran of Metroid is almost always completely covered in battle armor—but the stereotypes are strong enough that it's often hard to see past them.
Aloy, however, is a particularly noteworthy exception, for many reasons. ( Here are five of them:Collapse )
- Current Mood:
good
- Current Music:Meditation Radio station on Pandora
Today's Irregular Webcomic has a long discussion of tabletop role-playing games, their rules, and the different approaches to creating them that Morgan-Mar has encountered throughout the years. One part of this essay goes into the differences between computer "role-playing games" and their tabletop namesakes. In my opinion, Mr. Morgan-Mar's analysis is spot-on:
The essential component of [tabletop roleplaying games] that distinguishes them from board games, and even from modern computer "roleplaying games" (which have borrowed the terminology), is that in a roleplaying game you take on the role of a character and you can choose to do anything that character could do in their world. A computer roleplaying game, even one styled as a "wide open" sandbox is still a very tightly restricted sandbox. You might be able to travel anywhere on the game map and talk with or fight any creature you come across, but you can't climb a tree, hack off a branch, and carve it into a set of dominoes. You can't sit in a pub nursing a beer and pondering wistfully over a lost love while flicking peanuts at the bard attempting to perform in the corner. In a traditional tabletop roleplaying game, you can.
It's the flexibility of having a human game moderator that allows your character to do, or at least try to do, anything you can imagine that gives roleplaying games their intense fascination, at least for me. I love the freedom of roleplaying games, played face to face with other people. But I've played a few computer "roleplaying games" and very quickly gave them up because of how uninteresting and uninteractive I found them, though I recognise that many other people enjoy them immensely for other good qualities that they possess. It's a totally different experience, and I think that co-opting the name "roleplaying games" for computer games does a disservice both to them and to the traditional face-to-face games.
This is pretty much exactly how I feel about tabletop role-playing games versus their computer analogues. I've long been of the opinion that "role-playing game" when applied to a computer game is a major misnomer, especially when referring to the earlier attempts at such, like Wizardry, Ultima, Dragon Warrior, or Final Fantasy. Even more recent incarnations of the computer "role-playing game"—such as the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, or Fallout series—are really just storytelling games that give you some options as to a) how your character looks, b) what your character does, and c) how your character responds to dialogue or situations. In the best of these, the story can be told in several ways that are sufficiently different from each other that it continues to be fun (just look at how long I've been playing Skyrim for an example), but it's still fundamentally the same story. Even a game that can be heavily modded, like Skyrim, can only be pushed so far before the technical limitations of the engine are reached.
But a tabletop role-playing game is truly limitless. No two games, even played by the same people with the same characters using the same rules and the same setting, are ever the same. The story arbiter (usually called a Game Master) is in control of the setting—which includes the game world, the people and creatures in it, and the situations that the player characters find themselves in. But the players themselves are in control of their characters, and characters can (and often do) completely derail the intended story and take the game in a completely unexpected direction. And this is what I love about them. As a player in a tabletop role-playing game, I am a co-author of the story along with the GM and the other players, whereas in Skyrim or Dragon Age, I'm always playing someone else's story. It may be a good story, a fun story, a very engaging story—but it's never mine.
So thank you, David Morgan-Mar, for putting into words something I've felt for a very long time but hadn't been able to adequately express.
- Current Mood:
thoughtful
Unlike a lot of my dreams I wasn't a participant, but just an observer, like I was watching a movie. The setting was a fantasy world something like a cross between that of The Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age. I was following a group of vampires led by a woman, and they were definitely the villains of the story. My memory of the dream picks up at a point where this woman is experiencing a vision of her victory.
In her vision, she is on a grand throne in "Heaven", surrounded by ... nothing. There's just a vast emptiness. As my view pans around, I see that she's actually in what's called "The Fade" in the Dragon Age setting, a dream land where spirits and demons live and where the fabled Black City (supposedly once the Golden City and the Holy Seat of the Maker himself before it was corrupted by the touch of humankind's hubris) can always be seen in the distance, but can never be reached. Her throne is surrounded by the ruins of everything she's tried to create, shadows of the empire she's envisioned. And she understands (because she's saying it out loud--I don't see into her thoughts or experience her feelings or anything) that no matter if she wins or loses, this will be her fate.
At that point, she looks up at the Black City and hurls invective at the Maker for so cursing her. But I notice, as does she, that beyond the Black City is a light. And that light is a sun (and anyone who plays Dragon Age games knows that the sun doesn't appear in the Fade). And that sun ... is the Maker himself, looking upon the vampire in her throne.
A doorway floats between the sun and the throne, and the doorway is a lens, and suddenly the sun is a thousand times brighter. Any flesh and blood creature would be reduced to ash by that much light, let alone a vampire, but the light doesn't burn her. Instead a voice comes from it, warm and compassionate. I can't clearly remember the words (it's been over an hour at this point since I got up), but the gist of the exchange was this:
MAKER: Child, this is not a punishment. This is a redemption. A cleansing.
VAMPIRE: But I've lost everything!
MAKER: Except what is most precious. Your soul. The vampires say "The blood is the life." They are wrong. It is the breath. And it is my breath that will purify you and give you back that which you have lost.
VAMPIRE: Who are you?
And there was a terrible, ferocious, roaring wind as if the entire universe were inhaling. And upon the exhale, the Maker said:
( Don't click this until you've read everything elseCollapse )
- Current Location:Brookshaven, San Diego, CA
- Current Music:"Book of Dreams" by Suzanne Vega
- Current Mood:
kradical DeCandido, from whom I took this. (He, in turn, took it from a friend of his on Facebook, and she probably got it from another friend, etc. I guess that's how memes work, huh?)Twenty-Six Things About Me:
A. Age: 47
Curious fact: While looking up the spelling of Keith's last name, I discovered that he is exactly one month older than I am.
B. Biggest fear: Varies, but usually heights.
I am, in fact, so scared of heights that I can't watch certain scenes in movies or play certain levels of video games without curling up into a little ball and hyperventilating a little.
C. Current time: 10:31a.m. PDT (UTC – 07:00)
D. Drink you last had: Water.
I know. I'm boring.
E. Every day starts with: Appeasing the elder goddess of the house.
Or, in more mundane terms, feeding the cat.
F. Favorite song: Wildly variable, but right now I'm digging on "Come With Me Now" by Kongos.
G. Ghosts; are they real?: Only in our memories.
Of course, this is not to say that they aren't just as dangerous as real ones would be. . . .
H. Hometown: I'm actually not sure how to answer this. I was born in Paoli, IN; I lived the first four years of my life in Indianapolis, IN; I pretty much grew up in Los Angeles; but San Diego has been my home for over 25 years.
I. In love with: My sweetie, of course. :)
J. Jealous of: Way too many people for way too many things. It's one of the reasons I started doing meditation and trying to follow more Buddhist practice in my day-to-day life. I'll never be a perfect Buddhist, or even a very good one, but keeping some of its ideas in my mind has really helped me to not be as much of a reactionary asshole as I once was.
K. Killed anyone?: No.
Never have, never will, never will support or condone anyone else doing so. Period.
L. Last time you cried: While watching the Pixar short "Lava"
M. Middle name: Brooks
My performing name, Eben Brooks, is just my first and middle names. I drop the legal last name because I already have one unusual name; I don't need people fumbling over two.
N. Number of siblings: One brother.
O. One wish: To learn to be less attached to stuff.
P. Person you last called:
neo_tanuki, last night, about gaming.Q. Question you are always asked: "How are you today?"
It's how my sweetie greets me every morning when we IM.
R. Reason to smile: Many of the things on this list, including D, F, I, N, and P.
S. Song last sang: "25 or 6 to 4" while grocery shopping last night.
T. Time you woke up: Too damn late.
I.e., 8:45a.m. PDT
U. Underwear color: That's a bit bloody personal, ennit?
Okay, fine. White.
V. Vacation destination: I don't do vacations, I do conventions.
I seriously haven't had a real vacation since I went to London in 2004 (with
neo_tanuki, as it happens).W. Worst habit: Video games.
Once I start, I can't put them down. It's a known problem that I really don't have any serious interest in solving. ;-)
X. X-rays you've had: Yeesh, where do I start? Left foot, repeatedly. Teeth, at dentist's office, every couple of years. Torso, several times. Head, a few times. Hands, a few times each. I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot more.
Y. Your favorite food: Come on, this is a cop-out. This should be F. A proper Y question would be "Yankees or Red Sox?" or something like that.
That being said, I don't really have a favorite food. I like to diversify.
Z. Zodiac sign: Western, Taurus. Eastern, Rooster.
This is why I refer to Cock & Bull Ginger Beer as "My ginger beer".
- Current Mood:
Yes, formulaic as hell. Yes, implausible as hell, and I'm not talking about the part where we're invaded by aliens who look like someone crossed Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway with a porcupine. And yes, the references to the board game are obvious and a little ham-handed.
But . . . the performances are actually really good (especially from Col. Gregory D. Gadson, US Army, as Lt. Col. Mick Canales), the story is engaging, and the ways in which they use the game elements are actually very clever. That being said, I would have preferred that this movie had not had the game tie-in, because I believe it was the game tie-in that prevented it from being looked at objectively by critics and movie-goers. I know I rolled my eyes at the idea of a movie based on Battleship, and I think that initial "you've got to be kidding me" response is what did the movie in. On its own merits, it's quite enjoyable. I give it a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars.
- Current Mood:
tired
- Current Location:Brookshaven, San Diego, CA
From Kickstarter:
The first print collection of Irregular Webcomic!, with the first 500 Fantasy theme strips. Elves, swords, wizardry, dragons, puns!
I've been making Irregular Webcomic! since 2002. Finally, after 13 years, it's time for the first print collection! This book collects the first 500 strips of the Fantasy theme (up to the hiatus period beginning in 2013).
Join Lambert the merchant, Alvissa the elf, Mordekai the loveable rogue, Kyros the fire wizard, Draak the lizard man, and Dwalin the dwarf, as they travel across the land, destroying taverns, telling awful puns, and—eventually—completing their first epic quest.
Okay, this is a big thing! I'm very excited about this Kickstarter for two reasons:
As you know, I've been a fan of Irregular Webcomic! for over a decade, and the Fantasy theme was always my favorite. In fact, I love the Fantasy story so much that I wrote a song about it: "It's Quite Irregular" , which is track #12 on my new album, Doctor, Captain, Dovahkiin, Chief. So I REALLY want this campaign to succeed!
Oh, by the way . . . that song I wrote? It's a PLEDGE REWARD! For every pledge level that includes the book, either electronic or physical, a DRM-free MP3 of "It's Quite Irregular" is also included! This makes me SO HAPPY!
So if you love Irregular Webcomic, go pledge! And spread the word! There are 19 days left to go and a little over half of the goal amount yet to be raised!
- Current Mood:
excited
I know I mentioned this last week, but my newest CD, Doctor, Captain, Dovahkiin, Chief, is finished, mastered, uploaded, and released on CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes!
- To buy from CDBaby, click HERE!
- To buy from Amazon, click HERE!
- To buy from iTunes, go to the iTunes Store in your iTunes app and search "Eben Brooks"
The track list is as follows:
- The Ballad of Barry Allen
- Spoilers
- The Hard Way
- Nightlife in Santa Clara
- Three Drunken Klingons
- The Man Dressed in Brown
- O'Brian's Mongolian Barbecue
- Lex
- Geeky Girls
- The Too Much Skyrim Blues
- Deadly Ever After
- It's Quite Irregular
- Smells Like Beam Rifle
- Getting Geeky
So go listen! And tell your friends!
- Current Mood:
I have a job, which I start Monday the 4th. It's at PAR Tech in Rancho Bernardo. It pays 5.1% more than my last job. This makes me happy.
Doctor, Captain, Dovahkiin, Chief is available for download! You can find it here. It's not yet available on Amazon or iTunes, but I'm working on that.
I'm a bit over half-way done with the rewrite of my book. I've titled it The Metahuman Vector. It's not directly related to the GURPS Supers campaign of the same name that I ran between 2003 and 2013, but I've stolen some things from that campaign for world-building purposes.
I just discovered that I can buy a replacement carafe for my coffee maker at Target. So I'll be heading there as soon as this is posted.
I'm down to 205 lbs. (from 220 in December).
- Current Mood:
- Current Location:Brookshaven, San Diego, CA
Only in video games will you ever encounter a group of enemies all standing in a pool of flammable liquid directly underneath a convenient lit lantern.
It may look frivolous, but it's helped me maintain my daily habits like nothing else has. Those of you who know me know that I have about zero discipline when it comes to sticking with something that's unpleasant in the short term, even though I know it will reap positive results in the long term. With HabitRPG, I'm sticking with it like I've never done before. It feels good.
Many thanks to
kiltcheck for turning me on to this.Profile
- ebenbrooks
- Eben Brooks
- Eben Brooks' Music Page
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Comments
I will definitely give you a call in the next few days,…
I want to do this for you, brother.…
Niall