The Truth About PC Gaming

f there is one major pivot of passion, debate and fan boy exposure within the video game industry it would have to be the never ending “battle” between PC and consoles.

On and on it goes, the wheel of life spins bringing around it a perpetual cycle of name calling and arguing. There are the console lovers, claiming to be content with the added convenience and simplicity of play and management, and then there are the PC lovers, espousing the near limitless level and customization, independence and graphical power. Despite these talking points, rarely is there ever a general consensus between parties as to which is better, regardless of the specific topic or context at hand.

At least, that is until someone decides to bring out the big question: which one costs more?

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Zelda as a Protagonist

 happened across an interesting article from Nintendo Enthusiast detailing a theoretical idea for a Legend of Zelda title; one where Zelda is the protagonist and player-controlled character rather than Link:

[…] Yet, for all the times Link has been called “Zelda” due to the series’ moniker, we’ve never actually played as Zelda herself. Whenever she is involved, she is the damsel in distress, hoping Link will return to save her once again. Even when she debuts a tougher exterior in The Wind Waker, she is eventually reduced to kidnap-bait anyway. And although Zelda does help Link in his final battle a number of times throughout the franchise, it is never without Link that Zelda is able to escape from the clutches of evil.

So, why are we never able to take control of Zelda – or even better, her alter ego Sheik – once Link has completed his adventure? Why have we never learned of Zelda’s whereabouts in Ocarina of Time when Link travels to the future? Is Zelda not capable of even having an entirely new adventure on her own? [….]

New Kickstarter: The Science and Psychology of Video Games

 have decided to start setting up my Kickstarter project, and have published a page specific for it on this site as well. All of the details can be found on the current draft page for the project on Kickstarter itself.

Despite being a prolific writer and reader, I have never written a book before. I’ve considered it, like many people have, but never took any earlier attempts seriously. Now that I have established myself somewhat across various websites, and have found both a hobby and an outlet I’m passionate about, it seems like as good a time as any to get things rolling.

I will be providing updates on the project on both the actual Kickstarter page and on this website as well. Hopefully this works out well.

Peter Molyneux, Hubris, and Emotions

Love his dog as much as he loves his dog, or your pixels will be sad. Or something…

erhaps Peter Molyneux could be seen as the M. Night Shyamalan of the video game industry:

• Both had some rather excellent starts in their respective industries
• Both created some very unique classices (P. M. and Black and White, M. N. S. and The Sixth Sense, etc.)
• Both are strangely consumed by narcissism, “passion” and hubris
• Both have fallen from their good graces and repeatedly created lackluster entertainment in the latter halves of their careers
• Both have become a joke (more or less) in their respective industries

The only real difference is that one makes movies and the other makes video games.

Call of Duty: Ghosts and The Revealing Power of Buzzwords

Now featuring a dog and superior fish AI.

ven though Call of Duty: Ghosts is going to come out on practically every available system, both current and next-gen, everyone knows that any real discussion over AI or graphical innovation is mainly going to involve Microsoft, Sony, and the PC. What is so interesting about this particular discussion, however, is that it provides yet another example of just how insecure Microsoft is about the upcoming jump from the current generation to the next generation in terms of PR and sales. Take this recent article from Eurogamer and Infinity Ward’s Executive Producer Mark Rubin talking about the differences between Call of Duty: Ghosts on this generation’s consoles and the next:

Xbox One “Changes Everything:” Yes, It Has Changed Every Thing

It feels as if we’re just going in circles…

ost everyone has heard of the old saying; “Change is the only constant,” and Microsoft seems to have embodied this notion with their upcoming console, the Xbox One. Every single policy and “innovation” Microsoft presented with the Xbox One has been changed, and now the Kinect, the supposed “holy grail of gaming” according to the company, isn’t even need anymore, though they’re still trying to shove the device down everyone’s throats, like a force suppository or something.

With all of these changes and flip-flopping of principles and policies (kind of like real politics), Microsoft are doing what they can to embrace and flow with this “new direction.” Now, because of this, we have people such as Phil Spencer via Microsoft stating things like “the Xbox One ‘changes everything.'”:

Gaming, Boys, and Education

t the very least this woman blows Anita Sarkeesian out of the water. Unlike Sarkeesian, this woman – Ali Carr-Chellman – actually uses some numbers and statistics and facts, so she has earned the right to be listened to. This is only made even more ironic considering that TEDEd have also hosted Anita Sarkeesian herself in the past. As usual, the comments on that particular video are closed, as is the usual modus operandi with anything propagated by Feminists and their like-minded ilk.