How Important are Female Protagonists in Video Games?

Quantic Foundry, a consulting practices that focuses on analyzing games and gamers, created a survey to find out the not-so-direct answer.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant push-back from gamers to create more dynamic protagonists that are beyond the "single white male" trope that we've become accustomed to. We now have an annual review of E3 presentations, and their lack of inclusion of multiple character types in their "hero" wheel. The demographic for gamers has always been diverse. The average age for a gamer is around 35, not 18. But it's also been stuck with the notion that only young-adults, white men make up the majority of the audience. As such, games tend to skew their content to that demographic.

With more diverse individuals getting into gaming, how important is the protagonist when it comes to shaping the experience of the content? Do gamers respond differently to who is the hero based on their gender?

Quantic Foundry used survey data from 1,266 gamers ranging from casual to hardcore, and found that most men still don't care about female leading ladies. Across the board for women, casual, core, and hardcore all found that a female protagonist is extremely important. And as a hardcore female gamer, I agree. It's difficult to project ones-self into the world of the game when your only option is male. It also becomes a challenge to feel involved in the environment and the game discussions when your gender is not represented to some degree. Much like race or religion, when you see it absent or grossly misinterpreted in a game, you feel less compelled to be active in the narrative.

It also makes the story kind of dull when it's the same ol "hero" over and over again. The white middle-aged, single man with a scruff beard of 5 o'clock shadow, has been done. We've seen it so many times we don't find that story unique in any way. Because it's been done!

The games that have stood out this year have been because of their leading heroes and anti-heroes. Nier: Automata, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Gravity Rush 2, Little Nightmares are some of the leading games of 2017, for a banner year of stellar content. And none feature a white straight middle-aged male protagonist. They are women, people of color, and non-gendered creatures. This isn't to say that the stories in these games are more interesting due to gender and skin-tone. Rather, it opens up a wealth of opportunities to tell NEW stories.

Sadly, the survey also shows that the men who participated, in large, don't think that a female protagonist option is important at all. Casual gamers rank it at a 38% on the non-importance, which is the highest for that category. Hardcore gamers rank it at 32%, which ties with the "somewhat important" category - which is an interesting twist that I wasn't expecting. Core gamers also rank "somewhat important" as their highest at 28%. While the survey doesn't state race, I wonder if that plays a role in how some of these stats work out. I was expecting to see more hardcore male gamers rank "female protagonist options" in the not important at all. Instead it's an even split between not important and somewhat important.

Without the extra data, it's all speculation. But it'd be interesting to dive into and see if there's correlation between POC males and inclusion of more female characters in games.

I'm still arguing that we need more diversity in video games. Not as a woman, but as someone who gives a crap about the future of games. It's getting dull seeing the same stories told again and again. Let's add something new to the mix!

What Video Games Would Make It To The Olympics?

No shock here: The Olympic Committee will most likely not allow violent video games to be part of the games in the near future. This includes Overwatch and League of Legends where the actual blood violence is minimum to non-existant, but does show people and creatures attacking one another. Announced a few months ago, eSports will make it's debut in the 2022 Asian Games, and possibly the 2024 main games. The International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has already made it clear that any video games that showcase violence will not be included.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Bach commented that he would prefer the games be centered on existing sports such as football (soccer for us U.S. peeps) and hockey. Because there's no friendly competition then seeing men and women knock the hell out of their opponents on the football field.

"We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence, and peace among people. This doesn't match with video games, which are about violence, explosions, and killing,” said Bach. “And there were have to draw a clear line."

Now understandably, the landscape of the Olympics does promote non-violence. Counter-Strike would be instantly off the table and that should be expected. The problem is so many of today's video games contain some form of violence, cartoonish or other. And that includes the video games devoted to real world sports. The only exception I can think of is MLB. Knocking into people is a rare site and I don't think I've seen it happen in one of those games. Even basketball you have checking and can knock into opponents - which some may view as violent.

So where is the line to be drawn? What video games would be acceptable outside of the Mario and Sonic Olympic tie-in?

What games would you like to see at the Olympics that could fit the committee's vision?

New Twist in Retracted "Violent Video Game" Study

Kids and future academics. Remember to always verify your work and don't fudge your papers to tweak them in your favor. That's not how it works.

In January I posted on a study about violent video games that was retracted from Ohio State University, after 2 outside researches verified that the paper was flawed. "Boom: Headshot" claimed that one's marksmanship with a gun could improve by playing a video game. It concluded that video games promote real world violence because of this. The study utilized 151 college-aged students and asked them about their thoughts on guns as well as their knowledge of them. They were then given three games to play (Resident Evil 4, Wii Play, and Super Mario Galaxy) where some controllers were swapped out for guns. Because you use a gun in Super Mario Galaxy at one point...sure.

After playing the games, the students were handed an airsoft and asked to fire 16 bullets at a target. The subjects were given proper instruction on how to use the firearm. The "study" concluded that those who used the gun controller were more likely to have better headshots with the airsoft. However the reviews done outside of the paper have showed that the "improved" measure of headshots was almost negligible. There was no difference in accuracy between the standard controller players, and the gun controller players.

Since the retraction, it appears that Ohio State has taken the issue one step further. They have revoked the doctoral degree of Jodi Whitaker, a co-author of the paper. The other co-author and lead of the paper, Brad Bushman, was initially cleared of any wrong-doing. The original study notes and results are no longer available, so Bushman's theory is currently under review and being replicated to determine if additional action should be taken in light of recent events.

TLDR: Be sure to always check your work. Don't let your inherit bias take over the study. And read the results as they are. You're less likely to lose your career that way.

Errata Audiobook

The print edition and ebook of Errata have been out for yonks, but now, by the wonders of Bandcamp, you can get the full audiobook too as digital downloads, for a bargain price of £3.50. Read by yours truly, it clocks in at about three and a half hours, and ye'd be hard pushed to get a pint for that price these days, so that seems pretty fair to me.

And if you haven't picked up the actual

QuakeCon 2017 - Mini Review

This weekend I finally attended QuakeCon. In the umpteen years that I've lived in Texas, I've never been. The timing wasn't quite right. But this year I had an eager brother who wanted to check it out. Plus, it's free admission. You can't beat that for a convention. So we made the trek to Grapevine, the new location for QuakeCon this year, and set out on our exploration.

QuakeCon was first held in 1996, and has become one of the largest LAN events in the country. It originally began as a "finals" location for tournaments with id Software products: Doom, Quake, etc. It has grown to become a gaming mecha for a weekend, where people bring in their custom-built PC's and game it out 24/4.

To bring in your PC and game you do have to pay a fee, but it offers you access to the event and a chance to enter tournaments for an assortment of prizes. BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) is half of the focus of QuakeCon these days. Attendees are allowed to roam this area and check out the units. And we saw some stellar set-ups and custom cases. We found one gent with the bat signal. The freekin' bat signal! Another created Bastion from Overwatch. There was also the Citadel from Half-Life. It was a lot of fun seeing these cases and talking to the owners about their modding process.

The other half is all about the finals. Quake Champions, the newest game, was the primary focus. The stage set-up was probably one of the nicest I've seen for an open seating of that style. Much fancier then anything Twitch has thrown down for a gaming event.

The rest of the convention, well that's where it's a bit of a hit or miss. There were 2 vendors: The QuakeCon vendor for a small selection of Fallout, Dishonored, and QuakeCon merchandise. And Filthy Casual, which I'm not a fan of. So that was a bust. There were AMD and Alienware "buses" that offered PC experiences but if you've been to any gaming event you know exactly what those are about. There were also 2 indie games to try out, a mini-Twitch booth to pick up buttons, a 1 Up and Extra Life booth to get people signed up, and a free-swag stage sponsored by Ventrilo. All that's left were the id Software/Bethesda booths with another VR set-up (seriously guys it's been 2 years, are you done yet?) and public demos of the upcoming Dishonored 2 DLC and Wolfenstein 2.

Most of the events were pretty boring to be honest. You could show up at noon, walk around for an hour, and see everything. The panels were dull and had little to nothing to do with QuakeCon. If they were developer-centric panels about future content or the making of id Software, that would have been preferable over the cosplay content. And I'm saying this as a cosplayer, I was unsure of why there were so many cosplay panels. QuakeCon isn't a big cosplay event. It's meant for LAN parties and gaming tournaments. Have you ever tried to enter one of those in a costume? You'll overheat fast and it's so uncomfortable that it's not worth the hassle. I did see a cosplayer here and there, including an Overwatch one, but nothing crazy. Most people were in causal clothes with a geeky shirt or pin on. I saw at least 2 people in Fallout jumpsuits that were bought from a costume store, and a Team Fortress cosplayer, but that's the jist of it. If you were in cosplay, there wasn't much to do or many places to walk. The expo hall also had little to no light, relying on computer monitors and the main stage to act as a beacon. So you couldn't take many photos anyway.

There was a cosplay contest...that was occurring at the same time as one of the final matches on the main stage. We didn't stick around long enough to see it. We were done by 4pm after trying to make the time stretch out. But hopefully it was well attended and there were enough Bethesda costumes that entered. Yes, it was a Bethesda only costume contest. Sorry Overwatch fans.

Another big glaring issue was the lack of signs. And I mean everywhere. When you walk into the hotel/resort, unless you came through the convention garage (which was full by Saturday morning) you wouldn't know where to go. You had to look for the convention signs around the hotel and eventually stumble upon it.

There were some Quake logos in lights at one intersection and 1 or 2 signs to the expo hall and panels, but none for tabletop. The third floor for panels and the blooddrive was absent of signs unless you walked all the way down one of the many long halls to turn a corner and boom! There are the panels! All 3 of them empty! Wow!

Yeah it was bad.

Even IN the expo hall there was a distinct lack of signs. The Corsair booth was trying to direct people to the other end of the area for sales, but didn't know that they were part of the QuakeCon merch booth. They were telling people it was a solo stand near the stage. They probably lost potential revenue from that.

It was a lot of walking to see a lot of nothing. Unless you sat for one of the finals, which we didn't, there wasn't anything thrilling to see. You could have watched it all on Twitch and had a better experience - because then you weren't spending $20 on food and parking and you could be in your PJ's. Or your underwear. Whichever floats your boat; I am not here to judge your fashion sense.


The only highlight I came away from the convention with was getting to play Wolfenstein 2. That was super fun. There were some minor glitches that I spotted and the controls were interesting to tackle when your character is in a wheelchair, but the action was great. The puzzles within the scenario were smart without feeling cumbersome. And you get to shoot digital Nazis. What's not to enjoy about that? I want this game.

I've been told by friends that years prior it was better. The BYOC section was much larger, there are more booths, and more panels to sit in on. It also helps if you join in on BYOC and make a weekend of it. This probably wasn't a good year for me to attend as the convention had to move unexpectedly to a new spot and work with what they have. Maybe next year will be better - as long as they keep the passes free, people will show up. But they really need to get on the ball with signage and panels. Offer content related to id Software and Bethesda. Get the devs out there to talk about their work and more people will be willing to stop in.

Cosplay Tips - Juding and Prepping for Cosplay Contests

Welcome to another installment of Cosplay Tips, FAQ's, and Q&A's visa-vie, me! With the fan convention season in full-blown panic mode, I've received a number of messages asking about cosplay contests. It's probably in relation to my recent stint at AnimeFest where I was a guest judge for their Saturday events.

Most people see only one side of the contest; and that's the event itself in it's final form. Watching the cosplayers walking and posing across the stage. The skits in their full flurry of activity. It's fun stuff! But so much goes on behind the scenes to make that show happen. From staff, to stage crew, tech, PR, MC, you name it. It's a big production that requires multiple hands with months of preparation - sometimes years depending on the convention.

Few people have judged a contest, and it can be a daunting task. I've addressed general content for cosplay contests before, wanted to go into more detail about the judging process and how to better prep yourself. Hopefully this insight through my experience will help provide some clarity into how difficult it is to be a cosplay contest judge.

**Please note that the information I am sharing is from my experience, and mine alone. I've been a judge at multiple contests over the years that have utilized various rules and formats. I am not giving away any trade secrets; so have no fear, convention admins.**


- What do judges look for in winners? The entire package. They want to see top quality craftsmanship; well executed make-up, wig styling, props, and sewing. Cosplay has evolved dramatically over the last 3-5 years. It's not about being an expert in one field. You need to have multiple aspects incorporated into costume to make it stand out. You need props AND armor AND sewing. Or sewing AND wigs AND armor. All of them must be done well. The quality of work and ease of access to more materials have been a boon to the cosplay landscape. It's also made it much more difficult to judge contests. You have to become a literal jack of all trades, while mastering new abilities - because that's what everyone is doing! You can't rely on only your sewing or your armor to ensure victory.

 Judges also want to see an amazing stage performance. Part of the cosplay experience is the "play" aspect. We want you to transform yourself into the character you are dressed up as. That means walking, posing, and talking (if it's allowed on stage) like the character. You have limited time on that stage to dazzle everyone, and judges respond well to cosplayers that put in the extra effort to be the character. In many cases, the deciding factor between those who get awards and those who don't all rest on the stage performance.

A third aspect that we review is how much you, or you team, push yourself to try something new. There's something to be said for ambition. We like cosplayers that move out of their comfort zone to learn different techniques. That's how you grow as an artist - by perfecting what you know and jumping in to try new things. Boldness in craft can be rewarded if it's done well.


- What shouldn't I do in a judging room? Please don't act like the character you are cosplaying. Leave the performance for the stage. When in the judging room, we are there to check your craftsmanship, and that alone. When you try to act or talk like the character, it can be distracting. It takes away from your work and judges will have less opportunity to learn about how you made your costume.

Don't focus on the negative parts of your costume. Think of pre-judging like an interview. Would you say in an interview "Oh, I'm always late"? Of course not. The same applies to your costume. If parts are unfinished or a piece broke, don't draw the judge's attention to those areas. Protip: The judges can already see if something is not right with your costume. Fit, hem, "battle damage" you name it. We know. Make your presentation about the things you love with your costume. When you are excited about your cosplay, the judges become excited too. We want to learn why and how you made your costume, not about the faults.

Try not to ramble. This one there is leeway on. We know that being in pre-judging can be nerve-wracking and rambling can happen when you have nerves/adrenaline coursing through your body. We get it. But do your best to focus your talk on only your cosplay. While it's great to hear that you love your cat, we don't really need to know about his eating habits.


- How can I make my cosplay better? Loaded question with a vague answer: lots of ways. It depends on you and your crafting skills. But if you're looking for personal constructive feedback, message me. I'm always happy to help!

As for general tips to improving your cosplay:

1. Avoid glue at all costs on anything fabric related. Hot glue in particular. Glue looks and feels low-key. And it doesn't hold as strong of a bond as sewing...unless it's E6000, in which case why are you doing that to your fabric?!? In some parts of the world, glue can very literally heat up and melt off, leaving you with a sticky mess. Just don't do it. There are plenty of ways to attach armor to your body that don't require glue!

2. Use fabric paint on fabrics. Do not use acrylics or oil-based paints. Fabric paint is designed specifically to work with fabric to keep the material soft. Acrylics make the fabric look and feel heavy, and it's prone to cracking/chipping.

3. Try to keep stitching on hems as straight as possible. If you have to go on the slowest speed setting with your sewing machine. Everything looks better when your hems are even!

4. Prime your thermoplastics. Even if you think you don't need to, do it anyway. Smooth worbla, wonderflex, and thibra always look better then the cookie dough texture. You can always dirty them up later with paints.


- How should I present my costume in pre-judging? There are a lot of ways to do it, but I personally do the head-to-toe method. I start with my wig/headpiece and work my way down. It's easier for me to focus on my speech to the judges when I have a consistent starting point. There isn't one right way to start. You can start with your props, your armor, you light pieces, whatever you wish! I also find that even with big/busy costumes, judges will still look at your face first. Since their attention is already on my face, why not start there?

I would recommend practicing your speech before pre-judging. It's easy to be in the moment and forget important aspects of your costume. So start reciting your speech over, and over, and over again to the point where you hate it. That way if you are anxious/nervous, you'll go into auto-pilot on your speech.

It's always good to practice!


- Do hand-sewn costumes do better in contests? Nope. Hand-sewn doesn't hold the same weight like it use to because there is mass access to good, affordable sewing machines. You can find Brother machines on Amazon right now for $99, that come with 8-12 stitch settings. More then enough for your sewing needs.

Cosplay is like any hobby and requires you to invest in your resources. A sewing machine, dremmel, heat gun, etc.: getting the basic tools can be done for under $150! You don't need to break your budget. Because of this, the notion of hand-sewing being "superior" has fallen to the wayside. Most stuff that can be hand-sewn, can be done today with a cheap sewing machine.

Now there are exceptions to the rule such as beading, embroidery, and intricate lace-work or applique. Those machines are still incredibly expensive and not easily accessible to the general public. Embroidery units are coming down in price, but not as much as one would hope. And if your embroidery includes heavy beading, then no machine for you.

All is not lost! Hand-sewing can be impressive if the stitches are so clean that one can't tell if it's hand-sewn or machine-sewn. That's when you'll get a nod on craftsmanship.


- Do judge's play favorites with friends or anime/game/movies that they like?

Ahhhhh, the big question. This one comes up a lot in contest discussions, but it's very rare to have merit behind it.

I've only been accused of this once in my cosplay judging life, and it was at my very first appointment. Someone claimed that all of the judges at this particular event, were showing favoritism with some of the contestants because we knew them personally. The funny thing is that all 3 of us were from out of town - 2-3 states away! For the other judges, it was their first time attending a convention in that state, let alone that event. I only knew one other person there: my boyfriend who was my handler that day - not in cosplay. I had no clue who any of the contestants were. None of us did! It was about as un-favoritism friendly as possible! It still makes me chuckle.

I'd like to add that in all my years, I've never run into a situation where I felt a judge was being unprofessional. There is a general understanding in the cosplay community that being a judge is an important responsibility. We take up that mantle with honor and want to do our best for cosplayers as well as the convention.

Which means we don't show favoritism. We don't give awards to friends or colleagues unless they earned it. The reality is it's much more difficult to win an award if your friend is a judge. And I know a lot of judges will agree with me on that. Why? Because they know your talent. They know what you are capable of. They know your strengths and weaknesses. When they see you present a costume that isn't up to your typical standards, they will know.

The same applies to costumes that we see from our favorite franchises. I'm always thrilled to see a Final Fantasy cosplayer walk up. However, because I'm such a fan, I'm aware of little details in outfits. I know when a belt is the wrong color or if a cosplay is missing an accessory. Most judges are not easily swayed by their inherit fanboy/fangirl nature. We do our best to be as objective as possible. We are measuring the cosplayers on their ability and craftsmanship. Not on whether or not they picked a costume from our favorite series.

And as a judge, if you find yourself in a situation where a friend is competing and you are unsure if you can be objective, notify staff. The cosplay staff is just as much involved in judging as the judges to ensure everything is fair and balanced as much as possible. They will find a way to help! You may be allowed to step out of the room and not take part in that pre-judging, or your scores may not weigh as heavily.


- Do I need a portfolio? It's not always required, but it is highly encouraged. What I like about portfolios is that it's a great way to quickly flip through your costume progress without it taking up your entire presentation. Judges can see additional details of your work that you may not have time to speak about. Some contests do require a portfolio, but a number do not. Still, it's good to have to hand over to the judges. If you're curious about how to make one, enjoy this tutorial.


- If I follow these guidelines, will I win? Nope! Judges are judging costumes based on the rules that have been provided by the convention. They are also comparing your costume to the overall craft quality of the other contestants. There is no guarantee "win" at any contest. All you can do is your best, act your butt off, and impress the judges with your skill. It's up to them to determine if your work will earn an award.



Additional Resources:

Acting Out! Cosplay Runway by TifaIA Cosplay
How to Cosplay Runway by TifaIA Cosplay
Posing and Walk-ons and Skits, Oh My! by SEC-C Cosplay
Follow Me Through a Cosplay Contest by Atelier Heidi
Tips to Make Your Cosplay Skit Great by Ardella Cosplay

Photo credits:  CosPod: The Cosplay Podcast

Weekly Link Round Up

It's another week coming to a close...thank goodness. It's been a long one, hasn't it? Thankfully we've had a lot of gaming news to keep us company. Here's a collection of some of the best, worst, and sillies articles online.

- GamesCon, the largest European event for gaming, is taking place right now. And it's finally getting the attention it deserves with a visit from German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, who officially opened the event. The initial open with the Chancellor only included 350 guests and a handful of journalists, but hey. At least someone in the government realizes how big of an impact GamesCon has on the economy.

- You may have heard that Vivendi is steadily trying to take over Ubisoft. And can you blame them? Even with the bad publicity, Ubisoft is still hitting sales records. But CEO Yves Guillemot has made it clear that he doesn't want to be bought out by Vivdendi, whom currently own about 27% of shares in the business. Fortune sat down with Guillemot to discuss strategy and what the future of Ubisoft holds.

- NPR talks about how rough it is to be a YouTube star. There is no sarcasm there. No gimick. This is a serious issue - something a number of artists and actors experience. When you have to "always be on" and expect to product/perform, it can take a toll on one's mental health. Being your own boss, playing games, or creating DIY videos may sound like fun, but you have to think about the long-term as well for your well-being.

- Can a gamer and a non-football fan learn to love Madden? The AV Club tested this by taking one of their own, who has little to no football knowledge, and seeing what happens. This is a pretty cool article and showcases the power of video games. It also allows us to ask questions about Madden. Why is this game so popular? Is it because of the football or the mechanics of the game play? Is is the hidden puzzle/strategy element? 

- Polygon got some flack for an op-ed regarding the "video game crunch." The piece was in relation to a book titled Significant Zero, written by Walt Williams. In the excerpt posted, Williams talks about how the "crunch" is a sort of metaphorical high for him. He chases it. He thrives on it. While many people are against this method of production, Williams is for it. But he does clarify that the crunch has it's negative side and he does think it's his confession as an addict. Within hours after the piece was posted, Williams clarified his stance on his Twitter account, and it still reflects the original Polygon message. However, some feel that Polygon was trying to glorify the "crunch" cycle. The article is still up for viewing, and it's a good read. It's all about the context - read for yourself.

- Amazon's gaming studio is finally starting to drum up some designs and they are working on a new game titled Breakaway. The concept of the game is centered around the Twitch generation. They want the game to be accessible, easy to stream, and open for people to interact with. While not the first game to go after the streaming crowd, it is one that is hoping to harness that energy to make the game more compelling. It also helps that Amazon owns Twitch, so they can provide a better experience through the direct connection.

- Finally, MGM Grand in Las Vegas is starting a new VR experience where you can fight zombies. Where is the gambling in that? None. But hey, it's VR. It's New! It's Hip! For 30 minutes and $50 you and 7 other people can shoot at zombies. Instead of doing that now, on Steam, for a fraction of the price and any time you want to. But VR! It's Neat!

YouTube's Ad Rules Hitting Gaming Channels

YouTube is making it a challenge to monitize these days. If you're a video game content creator, or you watch videos on YouTube, you've probably noticed that some channels are not showing as many advertisements as they use to. With YouTube's new policies, which we reported in June, it's been a struggle for gaming channels. YouTube has always had some questionable policies for video games, but it has been a struggle to understand their logic in 2017. Anything with "violence" is subject to monitization removal. This could be "kill streak" videos from Call of Duty or general gameplay from Counter Strike. Doesn't matter. And YouTube still hasn't provided clarity on what their algorithms will, or won't, tag.

But a number of content creators have been vocal about seeing their revenue drop by the removal of advertisements. Because yes, while your video may have been okayed by YouTube before, new rules do allow them to go back, review your content, and determine if it can be monitized. Gamers such as TotalBiscuit have been trying to figure out the loophole to ensure their content can maintain advertising. They have been utilizing their fanbase to upload videos of atypical game violence, but change out thumbnails, tags, and titles to see if the algorithms will overlook it.

Here are the guidelines for advertising and violence on YouTube:

“Violence: Video content where the focal point is on blood, violence, or injury, when presented without additional context, is not eligible for advertising. Violence in the normal course of video gameplay is generally acceptable for advertising, but montages where gratuitous violence is the focal point is not. If you're showing violent content in a news, educational, artistic, or documentary context, that additional context is important.”

The focus is curtailing real world violence from earning ad revenue. It is acceptable for video games given the market and that it's fake/artistic - but montages are not allowed. So why is YouTube's system still flagging these videos and channels? It could be the algorithms need more information to safely determine what is reality and what is a video game. It could be YouTube's way of trying to get channels to pay for their 'Google Preferred' service; a sort of white-list that ensures some of your content will be ad approved.

The thing is we shouldn't be jumping through hoops to showcase our creative content. People play for fun and play for a paycheck. When a system is actively pushing back against you to hit your bottom line (aka prevents you from paying your bills), you start looking around for alternatives. This is why we're seeing the rise of Twitch and UStream - sites that are now offering content storage and video uploads as an alternative to YouTube. And for less restrictions! Sure there is nudity clauses but beyond that, most streaming services are pretty open for creative license.

What's to stop the video game YouTube population from transferring over to another video service? If TotalBiscuit were to quit right now and head to Twitch, he'd be taking not only himself and his creative work, but his entire fanbase too. That's loss ad revenue for YouTube, and another notch in the belt for Twitch.

YouTube. Time to wake up and see that your policies are hurting your core audience. Last year, video games were the 4th most watched type of video on the platform (behind vlogs, how-to's, and product reviews.) Gaming and cat videos helped create YouTube. Are you willing to turn your back on them for policies that hurt your revenue?

Nestle Sued for 'Breakout' Clone & Advertisement

More courtroom drama! Atari is suing mega-brand Nestle for copyright infringement on Breakout. The game where you bounce a ball at bricks to break them, in order to clear the screen and escape. It's been around since the early days of gaming and you've probably seen some variation of it over the years. You can play a variation of it right now on Google, done in homage to the original game. But these games are given the green-light by Atari and come with a copyright fee, or something of the sort.

In the U.K., Nestle used Breakout for a Kit-Kat commercial. Instead of blocks of random colors, they turned into Kit-Kat bars.

Nestle's commercial "leverage Breakout and the special place it holds among nostalgic Baby Boomers, Generation X, and even today's Millennial and post-Millennial 'gamers' in order to maximize the advertisement's reach," states the legal team for Atari. The commercial, which is no longer online, features 4 people of different ages, all playing this Nestle version of Breakout, asking people to join in and "Breakout" with a Kit-Kat.

Atari today is more of a corporate entity then what it use to be; taking it's trademarks and copyrights to heart and turning them into legal cases. They once tried to sue for the use of the term 'Haunted House' in video games, claiming they owned the right to be the only company to produce such content.

Nestle has not commented on the legal matter. But Atari does have a solid case if Nestle used the Breakout name and game, with tweaks, without seeking Atari's approval - or not paying for use of the copyright.

The Gaming Room

Nerd conventions, we need to have a talk.

As the culture of geeky-ness expands, fan-themed conventions are doing their best to grow with the times. What once was a comic book only venue may now host content for anime, gaming, cosplay, tabletop, LARP, and other nerdy content. All to attract more people to their event. And that's a good thing! The nerd cultures should mingle and expand their horizons by communicating with those on the other end of the fray. It brings people together and allows us to enjoy our fandoms without fear of retaliation from the outside world.

But one of the areas that I see fall flat year after year is the gaming room. You know them by now. Loads of conventions carry them. They're usually tucked away in a small corner, or lingering around on the tallest floor that a hotel has available, in the tiniest of spots. The amount of gaming content for consoles is always thread-bear. There might be 12-20 games available and 10 consoles in the room. There is always Smash Bros and Street Fighter. The rest is a concoction of dance games and, if you are lucky, Rock Band or Guitar Hero. There are few stations. More often then not there are more tables then there are consoles and chairs. This has been happening for years, decades even since I began attending conventions (anime, comic, etc.). Even gaming-centric conventions that offer free-play areas for consoles, or open arcades and tabletop, they tend to shuffle them to the smallest areas and rarely promote the content. When they do promote, it's always over-the-top compared to the products that are showcased.

When gaming tournaments are involved, unless it's a top-tier gaming convention, it's usually volunteer staff members handling the events. And in many cases, they don't know what they are doing. That's not a slight on them as volunteers. The gaming world can be tricky to maneuver when you have to handle tournaments. You need people who understand how the process works, from set-up to the rules to what happens if there's a disqualification. Few do. Those that know the process are being paid to handle tournaments - they don't offer their services to conventions for badge compensation (which doesn't cover food, hotel stay, or travel; let alone a check to cover the bills).

Fan conventions don't give the proper care to their gaming content. This was very apparent to me over the weekend when I saw the "arcade" room at an event I attended. It was kind of sad. I only remember seeing 8-10 console stations and a load of empty tables. It was a lot of Smash and one Rock Band. That's it. The games available were Smash, Smash, and Smash. I understand that Smash Bros. is a popular game for multiplayer but there are other games. The room was bare. The staff seemed less then impressed. Some of the consoles were dusty and worn. There was a thick layer of dust on a PS4 - it was disgusting. One system was running updates, making it unusable.

And yet we accept these adequate conditions. They have become part of the norm, and it's made the gaming sector at cons feel so lifeless. We're seeing fewer people sign up for tournaments, prize pools are dwindling, and donations are dropping.

Fan conventions. If you want the gaming crowd to return, you have to step up your game - pun intended.

Listen to the community. Ask them what THEY want and try to provide it. Get gamers on the gaming room staff so they can help the area grow. Don't cheap out and only accept donations. Invest in the gaming room. Buy systems and controllers that work. Keep them clean and up to date. Engage gamers by getting them involved in the process. Gamers are a big part of the fan community now, and giving them sub-par content will only push them further away.

11 Best Post-Apocalyptic Novels

Post-apocalyptic fiction has become increasingly popular recently, especially in the horror and action genres. For some reason, the idea of civilization collapsing and people struggling to survive the aftermath appeals to us. Maybe it's our savage nature or a sense that life has become too easy, but we like to imagine the world that might come after we're gone. Here are the eleven best novels set after a potential world-ending event.


11. The Postman by David Brin

In a future America that's collapsed into anarchy, a drifter stumbles across a letter carrier uniform of the United States Postal Service and, with empty promises of aid from the "Restored United States of America", gives hope to an Oregon threatened by warlords. The original novellas were nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novella. The completed novel won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, both for 1986. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and Nebula Award for Best Novel for 1986.

10. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the Southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, Canticle is a huge scope of a novel, spanning thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The book follows one man Isaac Leibowitz who starts by saving books from destruction, and leads to a monastic Order of Leibowitz who take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the day the outside world is again ready for it. It's considered a classic of literature, one of the first science fiction novels to be seriously reviewed and studied by literary critics.

9. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

The novel is actually based on a satirical book written earlier by Brooks called The Zombie Survival Guide. Based on the background of the guide and inspired by an oral history of World War II, Brooks made a collection of individual accounts narrated by an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, following the devastating global conflict against the zombie plague. Other passages record a decade-long desperate struggle, as experienced by people of various nationalities. The personal accounts also describe the resulting social, political, religious, and environmental changes.

8. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

When a mysterious green meteor shower caused everyone who looked at it to go blind, the majority of humanity is left helpless. As the world struggles to survive, they are no match for the triffids, a carnivorous species of plant capable of moving on its own that begins hunting the survivors. This book is a classic and inspired many other post-apocalyptic stories like the movie 28 Days Later.

7. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

This book is more of a novella, but it's still worth including. It picks up with the life of Robert Neville, who believes himself to be the sole human survivor of a devastating plague, but he's not alone. Other humans, including his neighbor, have been turned into vampire-like creatures that come every night to try to kill him. Neville has turned his house into a fortress and spends the night barricaded and trying to resist the taunting of the "vampires." During the day, he goes out to hunt the vampires as they sleep, and try to find a cure for the plague. It's pretty much the model for every story about survivors barricaded against rampaging monsters.

6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Set in a near-future New England, the novel is about a totalitarian Christian movement that has overthrown the United States government and set up a brutal theocracy. The new Republic of Gilead is particularly harsh on women who are forbidden to read or travel freely. Because of widespread sterility, fertile women are forced to become Handmaids (concubines) for powerful men, including the main character Offred. As she lives in the new world, she struggles against the restrictions and tries to find an escape. The Handmaid's Tale won the 1985 Governor General's Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987; it was also nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker Prize, and the 1987 Prometheus Award.

5. The Passage by Justin Cronin

This book is the first of a trilogy starting in a near future and covering the next 90 years. It begins with a government project to develop a new immunity-boosting drug based on a virus carried by an unnamed species of bat in South America. The test subjects escape and eventually unleash a mutated virus that transforms the world. The novel begins in 2016 and spans more than ninety years, as colonies of humans attempt to live in a world filled with superhuman creatures who are continually on the hunt for fresh blood.

4. The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard

Set in the year 2145 in a post-apocalyptic London, rising sea levels have flooded the city and turned it into a tropical lagoon. A scientific survey unit sent to map the flora and fauna in the area causes the survivors' minds to regress mentally. When part of the team turns tribal, the remaining team struggles to keep civilized. It's a haunting story of how our minds can shape our reality.

3. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

Published in 1967, this depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching the age of 21. The story follows the actions of Logan, a Sandman charged with enforcing the rule, as he tracks down and kills citizens who "run" from society's lethal demand—only to end up "running" himself.

2. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

This is a graphic novel about a society made up almost entirely of women. The idea of a world where men die off leaving only women is usually pretty sleazy, but Y: The Last Man was a more realistic and even feminist story. When a mysterious event kills off all the males except for two, women discover centuries of exclusion have left them out of all critical aspects of society. Governments, military, infrastructure and even the arts are wiped out in one blow. As the women struggle to rebuild, the last male human survivor tries to find his true love. The story is both personal with great characters and epic in scope as it deals with global competition and war.

1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is set in a near future where an unexplained event has covered the world in ash and humans are the only living things left. A father and son struggle across the blighted landscape, trying to reach safety while avoiding and defending themselves from gangs of cannibals. The book isn't some Mad Max-type of adventure, though, by a beautifully written tragedy about the power of love and family. The novel was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006.

Do you have any other suggestions? Which ones have you read? Let me know in the comments!

"My name is Timothy McGill, and I'm a time travel addict..." Time Junkie, now available in paperback and ebook formats!

Prime Discount New Game Releases Gone!

Bad news Amazon Prime Members: Our 20% discount on new game releases (physical copies) has been removed.

Most game pre-orders will still hold their 20% off savings, but for new games that have just released? It looks like that's been removed. Take a look at some of the games released in the last 2 weeks and you'll see that their discount has vanished. Sonic Mania, Agents of Mayhem, Sudden Strike 4: our 2 week grace period for the 20% off is no more. It does appear that Amazon has updated their website and FAQ to reflect the very recent change. A message has been sent to Amazon for details, and awaiting a response.

But as a gamer, this nice perk is no more. One of the things I appreciated about having that 2 week extension for the discount is that it gave me time to read game reviews on a product before jumping in to make a purchase. As more developers hammer in the "do not talk" rule on new games until their release, it's been difficult to make well-meaning purchases. Reviews generally guide us in determining whether or not we buy a game. I know it's not all of the time, but for most of us, we look to game reviews as a means to verify if a game is worth our money. We don't want to drop down, $59, $69, $79 dollars on something that ends up being a poor product. Returning it for a refund isn't an option with a majority of retailers - trade in is your best bet and you're out money.

There are also a few games, such as Destiny 2, that are exempt from the pre-order 20% off discount. It could be a developer-specific reason, but it still sucks. Best Buy still has their $10 reward associated with Destiny 2 if you are a member of their program. So, what's up Amazon? That perk of yours that I really appreciated has vanished, and it'd be nice to have some answers.

If Amazon responds for clarification, I will update this post.

Why Content Mills Are Bad For Writers [Rant]

A while back, I talked about how I wished there was a "Uber for writers," a place for on-demand work where writers could earn quick cash by banging out short stories and novels for customers. Well, my mistake was thinking of fiction, because it turns out there are services online for writers to produce nonfiction on demand. Quite a few of them, in fact. And they all suck, at least for writers.



I'm going to talk about one specific service I signed up for, but I'm not going to provide the name or link to the website, because I don't want to promote it. A lot of these places are alike so you can find it or one like it if you're interested. They're all called "content mills," and they work as brokers for nonfiction content. You sign up and clients post descriptions of the text they want, how long they want it to be, when they want it by, and how much they'll pay for them. Most of the jobs tend to lean towards blog posts and articles, but also for things like product descriptions. Basically, any text that you would find on the Internet, you'll find a client trying to hire someone to write it for them. For example, I signed up for jobs to write articles on the health benefits of air purifiers, a description of an educational app, and a list of scary things about Alzheimer's disease.

The writing is really tedious. You wouldn't think it would be hard to crank out 300 words until you've written everything you can think of about belly button lint and realize it's only 124 words and you have to find another 176 words.

The jobs also don't pay that much. I earned maybe two or five dollars per article, but I only wrote 300-500 words per job, so you do the math on how much that would be per word. I also had to do a lot of research because I had zero knowledge of any of those topics, so if I were getting paid for the hour, I'd be earning below minimum wage. It's a lot of work for very little pay. Another problem is that while I'm waxing on about air filters, I'm not writing any fiction that I actually want to write.

That's the danger of these content mills: if you wanted to make real money, you'd have to grind out a ton of writing for very little pay, and you're using the time you could use to write things you actually want. Content mills have worn down writers who fell into them because they can be draining.

Then there's the moral aspect of content mills. I wasn't too comfortable writing what were essentially advertisements disguised as instructional articles that would probably show up on some blog. I also saw some pretty unethical things being offered that I refused to take. For example, one company was asking for 1000-word reviews of health supplements. The company insisted they wanted high-quality writing because they're a respected source for product reviews, but the only thing they provided to potential writers was a link to an ad for the product. That means writers would have to make up their entire review, because I doubt the client expects writers to buy the supplement, try it out, and give their honest opinion. The company was offering 10-20 products to review at a time, so I'm guessing all their "respected" reviews are farmed out to content mills, which makes them worthless to consumers. That's disgusting.

Worse than all this is the message that content mills send: that writers are disposable. Writers are expected to grind out quality work for ridiculously low wages to save some company having to hire a quality writer on staff who will earn decent money for their work. The whole thing just feels sleazy and dirty.

In the end, I learned that content mills are really bad for writers, just like Uber is really bad for drivers. I shudder to think it might be the future of the writing industry.

"My name is Timothy McGill, and I'm a time travel addict..." Time Junkie, now available in paperback and ebook formats!

Pokémon Go Fest Aftermath

Did you attend Pokémon Go Fest this year? The inaugural festival to celebrate the one year release of the game ended up being a technical minefield, about as bad as the game's initial launch. Which is oddly appropriate, all things considered. For $20, attendees would receive day -1 access to the newest legendary Pokémon and the new battle system that required people to form teams to catch them. As well as unique PokéStops, increased Pokémon spawns, an in-app medal, and some various things one would expect at a festival: lounges, photo ops, and overpriced food.

The new battle was a flop and users spent the entire day trying to log in, only to be disconnected. While Niantic staff tried to contain the situation, the long, hot day ended with a lot of disappointed fans. Few were able to catch monsters before the game crashed, and many people were not able to get past the loading screen. The event was all about catching Pokémon, so there weren't other activities available to attendees. Niantic has paused future events as a result of the Chicago festival failure. In an update to players, they are refunding tickets (if you bought them directly from Niantic for the $20 price - if you got them from a scalper then no refund for you), $100 in Pokécoins, and auto-delivery of the first legendary Pokémon Articuno. It doesn't make up for the travel costs many endured to get there, but it's a start.

A lawsuit with 20 attendees has been filed against Niantic. They are not satisfied with the response from the game developer and are seeking further damages to recoup the loss from travel expenses. Chicago-based attorney Thomas Zimmerman is representing the group: “The issue is, what was promised, what was the incentive that people relied on and the representations that people relied on to buy a ticket and make travel plans and fly to Chicago to participate in this festival, would they have done that had they known that that was not going to be lived up to and they weren’t going to get the experience that was represented?” They are only seeking compensation for the money spent on travel and hotels, and nothing more. At least they are not trying to milk the situation for more then it's worth.

Needless to say, Niantic will be reeling from this event for a while and continue work on server stability before trying again.

Houston, We Have a Healer Problem

MMO Examiner recently posed an important question: Is there a shortage of healers in Final Fantasy XIV? I'd argue that this question not only applies to FF14 but to all MMO's as the games begin to age and change to accommodate new audiences.

Since the release of the latest expansion Stormblood, FF14 has been hit with a decrease in healers - at least visually. Strolling around cities and out in the world, I have noticed that there aren't as many White Mages, Scholars, or Astrologians as usual. It doesn't mean that they aren't there. I'm still able to queue in duty finder as a damage dealer and get a party in 20 minutes or less - which is about average for my server. PVP is easily 5 minutes. But other servers have reported 40+ minute waits for a healer; an unusual length of time when you have cross-server population pools to utilize, What happened with this expansion to cause the healer population to drop? (Note: I've been playing FF14 for 2 and a half years, mostly as a healing job. The following are my personal observations and experiences may vary from server to server, and game to game.)

First off, the battle mechanics completely changed. Stormblood brought in a whirlwind of new changes to better balance out the combat so as not to overpower the newer jobs that would be introduced. White Mage (WHM) took a major hit and was stripped of 15 abilities - now no longer able to offer some healing alternatives, it's main priorities are Cure 2 and Stone. Whoopie. Scholars (SCH) and Astrologians (AST) also had some abilities removed, but not as severe. They also gained new abilities, including different healing tactics. SCH and AST are now the go-to for raid healers, offering better party balance compared to WHM. Many people who were WHM's are giving up the job to move to another healer. But as I've found out with WHM, to go from a simple job to one that's incredibly complex like AST is enough to turn some people away.

Adding on to that, one of the favorite abilities for healers was 'Cleric Stance.' This allowed you to flip your Mind and Intelligence stats around so that your few damage spells could do actual damage. This was an ongoing ability and allowed you to swap back and forth between healing and damage with a short cool-down. Now, it only gives you a minor spell "boost" for damage and healing for a few seconds and a 120 second cool-down. In the game right now, it sucks to try and dps on a healer when you have to solo content.

Next, Stormblood introduced two very long awaited job classes: Red Mage (RDM) and Samurai (SAM). The population flocked to them. Samurai is now the DPS darling with a lot of damage output in a short time. It also looks really flashy. Red Mage is a good balance of DPS magic and can take down enemies quickly, while being able to manage themselves to not need a tank/healer to support their efforts. It also looks really flashy. I personally like how RDM was designed. It's got sprinkles of FF11 involved, but it's a job that requires tenacity and ingenuity to play. I still enjoy AST, but if given a choice, I'd go RDM first. It's a more fulfilling role then AST.

Third, people are a-holes to healers.

That is a universal truth. World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Guild Wars, Overwatch, Team Fortress - if it's an online game that includes a healing class, you will be blamed for any and all mistakes if you play a healer. I wish I were joking, but it's sadly true most of the time. It doesn't matter if the team dies because the tank didn't hold hate, or if a DPS didn't follow the boss mechanics, or if the "right" gear didn't drop from a mob - it's always the healer's fault.

That is a horrible situation to be in: instantly blamed for any and all errors that are outside of your control. And when it's just a game that you want to have fun, why put yourself in that position? So instead of healing, people play other jobs where they don't have that burden placed on their shoulders.  It doesn't matter how amazing you are at healing, you will still be blamed. The only exception I have found to this rule is that if you are with a stable group/guild/linkshell. Then they tend to put the blame on the people that caused the problem. Randoms outside of your group? Good luck dealing with them.

Fourth, not all healers are created equal. There's a high expectation when playing a healing job to already know what to do right off the bat. The reality is, you don't know until you go in and start playing! With FF14 in particular, each dungeon has a different approach for healers. It's fun and frustrating. Sometimes you can play DPS and rarely heal. Other times you can only AOE heal and spam it until you run out of MP. It can also vary depending upon your tank and if they decide to take it slow, or try to train the whole dungeon. When you are a first time healer, it can be intimidating to jump into healing with a group. With virtually all games, your first handful of levels are done alone. You learn the game mechanics, pick up a few quests, and get a feel for the content. With DPS, it's pretty straight forward. You punch/stab/slice mobs until they die. When you are a tank or a healer, you don't get the chance to try our your intended job roles until it's dungeon time.

Good parties will take the time to help healers learn what they should and shouldn't do. Most parties don't care and just want to get the dungeon done 'now.' Even in these instances, I try to help out healer's who seem to lag behind. They may not know how to run the dungeon, it's their first time, or they may not be experienced with this tank's style. But still, it takes time. It's all a learning process. Like #3, people expect healer's to already know what to do. The reality is we don't. Not until we get into a dungeon and start playing with you. Unless it's a group we've worked with before, we don't know how you play. We have to accommodate our style to you so people don't die. While it's a fast way to weed out the good healers from the bad ones, it's also a quick way to discourage people from continuing to heal.

It's not just FF14 with a lack of healers problem. It's all MMO's. Until developers can get on the ball with making the jobs fun, flexible, and able to provide DPS support that's reasonable, the issue will get worse. I wouldn't be surprised to see raid groups start camping out healers on other servers, trying to entice them to swap over to their side for perks.

What. The. Heck?

Today's post is not video game related. Sorry folks! There is too much going on in the country right now that I'm having a difficult time focusing on a topic to write about. I've always maintained this blog as an escape from reality. A chance to take a mental break from the weariness of the world and enjoy video games. But sometimes, when sh*t hits the fan, the real world can't be ignored.

I'm not going to play the naive card and say that I thought hatred and racism was gone. It's always been there, but not as pervasive as it once was. Living in the Southern U.S., you hear things. A lot of the actions are verbal, not physical. Words that hold strength, but aren't typically followed up with an action. Is it disheartening? Absolutely. I will never understand why people hate others because of skin pigmentation, religion, etc. The concept of hate is bonkers. The human race is so unique compared to our animal counterparts. We have such a diverse array of culture among us, and it is fascinating to study! Hating someone for being "different" is absurd. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT!

Yes, I'm a white female gamer, but that doesn't mean I'm an exact copy of all white female gamers. I don't hold the same opinions or religious affiliations as all the others. It's damn near impossible for all of us to be copy/paste models in every aspect of our lives.

After the events this weekend, I had hoped that humanity was better then this. I had hoped that there was some sense of good in all of us. I had hoped that we WERE doing better after the centuries of racism, sexism, and religious persecution.

We have a long way to go.

This isn't meant to be a bashing post, or one asking for political insight.

I just wanted to post how disappointed I am in humanity right now. We are imploding and lashing out on one-another in a fight for supremacy instead of trying to come together and resolve our differences, like rational beings that we should be.

I'll try to have a gaming post up tomorrow.

Google is Building an AI to Kick Your Butt at 'StarCraft'

Google is trying to teach an AI how to beat the world's best StarCraft 2 players.

Because it's Google and they have the power to do that.

In 2014, Google acquired DeepMind, a company focused on artificial intelligence research and application. The company has worked with games before on the Atari to try and surpass human players. But StarCraft is a different beast, focusing on complex problem solving and the random variable of the human mind. You may think I'm going to construct an additional pylon, but what if I decide not to and instead pull a Zerg rush with my Protoss crew (always rolling with team Protoss)?

But that's exactly the type of environment DeepMind and Google want to jump into to further develop AI technology. They need those random variables. The company is partnering with Blizzard and have already released a new set of tools to help advance the project. This includes a release of content of the game for Linux, for the first time ever.

StarCraft has long been used as a test subject for AI and ML research. For a game with a 20 year history and a heavily devoted fan-base, you can bet that some of the best players in the world cultivated from the StarCraft arena. The game requires you to manage multiple functions at once: gathering resources, building up a base, defending your territory, etc. Players have to balance out the primary objective with the ancillary goals - an AI must do the same if they want to win. And unlike an Atari game with 10 actions a player can make at any one time (up, down, left, right, button), StarCraft can have up to 300. That is a lot of content an AI has to review.

Google and Blizzard hope that with the release of the tools and the research paper will drum up interest in the project and participants may be willing to throw themselves into the pool to be act as data/test dummies. It will be interesting to see what results are produced from the project.

The Attraction of Video Games

What makes video games so appealing?

Before you click away from this blog post, take a moment and think about why you play video games. Is it for the action? The adventure? Being involved in a different reality? Do you like the fantasy element of games? Do you enjoy the mental break from you day? Or is it the mental stress from puzzles and platformers that keeps you going?

For a seemingly simple question, there are a multitude of reasons on why video games appeal to us. I don't always get personal on this blog, but today I want to take a break from reality and talk about what appeals to me about video games.

I fully admit that I'm a TV and movie junkie. I have 3 degrees in film. I also love to read - novels and short stories, and prefer fiction and sci-fi over autobiographies. Movies like 'Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' and 'Blade Runner' drew me in. Not because of Harrison Ford. I didn't like Han Solo much when I was growing up (I can hear the anguished screams of fangirls). But seeing such fantastical stories told on film - I was hooked from the start.

For me, video games were a natural progression of my curiosity with storytelling. The joke in the family is that my brother and I popped out of the womb with a controller in our hands. We've always had a console in our home, starting with the Atari 2600. We were born in the mid-80's and we grew up in the 90's, when everyone was figuring out how to incorporate technology into our homes. Our Atari was used mostly for Pong and Pitfall. Entertainment was the initial goal with video games, much like film and television were. The Nintendo Entertainment System was our first glimpse at games with stories. They were simple stories, like saving a princess held in a castle...somewhere. But they were stories that took on their own life beyond what a movie could offer. Instead of being a passive viewer, you were now an active participant.

Final Fantasy IV is what hooked me for life. The pixeliated characters taught me more about life, friendship, sadness, anger, hate, sorrow, trust, and redemption then anything I learned in my decades of schooling. It was a game that had everything I wanted in a movie or book, but so much more. Because I could be a part of it all. Yes the story was scripted, but I was more invested in the activities of Cecil and his cohorts then I was of Luke, Han, and Leia because I could direct the characters innate actions.

The ability to control the game, as much (Mass Effect) or as little (Super Mario Bros.) as the content allows, is what makes video games appealing to me. That level of immersion is something film has been trying to capture for the past decade as game sales continue to dominate the industry. The fact is, film will never be a video game. It just won't work - not until a movie is able to break it's 4th wall and have people control the story. Those experiments are not something that I see moving past short art-house films or temporary exhibition pieces. Mostly due to the nature of film, but the disconnect between film and the audience is much shorter compared to a game. With a game, we know it's digital. We know it's not real. Even with the most human of actions, we are still able to separate reality and fantasy. Film and television are different. Outside of animation, when one uses living people to portray characters, it takes on a new level of realism. We connect to actors because they are human. We understand their needs because we too are human. They have to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, go to work, etc. With a video game, characters can ignore all laws of logic and physics to do things. Even in a crazy action movie like 'Atomic Blonde,' where the impossible seems feasible, there is a grounding of reality by having human actors. This is why movies can't be games - we are unable to break away from the reality of the actors. Controlling a bandicoot to jump and spin doesn't hold the same weight as telling a soldier in a movie which bunker to explore. The bandicoot is a bandicoot. You have 99 lives and can try again if you fail. The soldier has 1 chance to make the "right" decision, and most of us would not be able to face the reality of the situation if s/he failed because of us.

So there you go. Those are my reasons for video games being appealing to me. I enjoy the fantasy; the ability to be swept away into another realm and ignore this one for a few hours. But I'm also fascinated at how the stories are told. How we can take those plot points and make them our own with a level of immersion that can't be beat.

How about you? What about video games appeals to you?

Casinos Attempt to Woo eSports Gamers

As with anything in life, if something is big enough, casino's will find a way to incorporate it into their field to turn a profit. There are themed slot machines (Dolly Parton has her own series of slot machines), miniature Nascar and horse racing tables, eBay chance games: you name it. So it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that casino's want to capture some of the hype behind eSports. But unlike traditional gambling, where hotels will comp rooms, food, and drinks to keep people sitting at a table, eSports gamers are willing to pay for those amenities to get the best seats at a tournament.

Gamers are a difficult market to capture. We see through the bunk of casinos, so we're less likely to pony up money to spend it at a poker table. But it won't stop them from trying! Some venues, such as Caesars Entertainment in Atlantic City, hosted a small tournament in March that drew 900 people. The results were instantaneous. While the gambling side didn't see a bump, the growth in room reservations and the sale of food and drink were worth the investment. And if attending a casino to go to a video game tournament turns them into gamblers, then that's a plus for the hotel.

eSports is a growing industry, expected to hit $1 billion by 2019. Casino's know that their target audience of 20-30 year olds are not their traditional customer. They don't have the disposable income to gamble. But they are willing to travel for tournaments - which means they need lodging and food. It's a fairly straight-forward concept that more casinos could try to embrace. Does it mean changing their marketing tactics to woo these customers? Absolutely. But that's the case with every demographic. What gets a 30-40 year old into a retail location requires a different approach then a 50-60 year old.

Is it underhanded? Yeah. I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say that the casino's alternate motive isn't the best. Getting younger people in to try and start gambling. But it is their business model and that's what they do. As long as addiction doesn't grow from it, and one is responsible with their finances, gambling is fine in small quantities. We'll just leave it at that.

Newest LotR Game Has Microtransactions

Remember when video games didn't have microtransactions and pay-walled content? You could buy the game as it was for $39.99-$49.99, play it right out of the box, and not have to worry about these crazy things called bugs and glitches, or having to buy DLC to get additional content. The game was all right there in front of you. Done. Ready to play.

Dudes, those were good times.

This isn't an older gamer asking for nostalgia. While I appreciate the games of my youth, some of today's games are far superior to anything I played as a kid. But one thing that I do miss and wish gamers would stop falling for is not having to pay extra for games after you buy them. Microtransactions and DLC's have messed up the gaming market.

WB Games has announced a new "market" system, as they call it, for Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, the latest in a string of 'The Lord of the Rings' video games. Shadow of War allows players to build their own Orc army, and you obtain NPC's by exploring the world and meeting these warriors in towns, fellowships, etc. The "market" also allows you to buy them with cash and you can skip doing all of that video game stuff. You can also buy XP boxes, gear, and xp boosts for your Orc army.

Even better, there are 2 types of currency in the game: Mirian and Gold. Mirian can be found in the game. Gold you have to purchase with real-world cash, which can be used to get "better" boxes. While the FAQ states that buying Gold is not required to advance in the game, and that a person playing without buying Gold will see the same results, we know the reality. If a person has a standard army and plays against a person with a Gold army, we know who's going to win - the one that's equipped with the Gold gear. (Note: the game has no online play; this is just an example.)

The "you don't have to pay extra to play" is a buffer statement every developer is using these days to not drive away core gamers who don't want to, or can't, shell out anything extra after buying the product. And yes, the game doesn't block you behind a pay-wall. That much they have made clear. But if you want certain cool Orc to be in your army? You gotta pay up. Whether that's farming for hours to get Mirian or paying for Gold.

This is our gaming reality. Where we can't have single-player content without the looming nuisance of microtansactions.