Understanding Gaming

I believe that there comes a time in every person's life where they question their hobby and whether it is worth continuing. I have recently undergone this time and am still going through it, questioning the time and money spent on this hobby of mine. Usually when you start a hobby, you might be a child looking for some fun, it may just be a way to get your mind off life for a while, or both.

For me, it was both.

I love gaming and the fun it used to provide for me but as I grow older, I have started to let my competitive side take over while gaming. It didn't matter what kind of game it was. Was it a game like Bioshock that didn't have multiplayer? Fine, how long did it take you to beat and I will beat it. It is a seemingly-endless cycle that has basically killed my passion for it and has pushed friendships to limits. My conquest to be the best has stopped my friends from playing some of the more fun/competitive games with me.

For me, comparing fun and competition is like The Force (just go with me on this and no jokes about duct tape or anything like that).

Fun is the light side, pure and simple, it prefers to be reactive and although it is a tough road to follow, it provides the most enjoyment. Competition is the dark side, evil and chaotic, that wants to win at any cost and if your friends stop playing, then that is their problem. It is so easy for some people, like me, to follow the dark side because I have forgotten what it is like to truly enjoy a game.

Sometimes, you need to go back and find why you started in the first place, for fun, and do whatever it is that got you into your hobby. For me, I have restarted Super Mario RPG, a game that I absolutely loved as a child and continue to love to this day. It is all about choice in these times. Sometimes, things are just worth fighting for, but there are sometimes that just fighting for what you love is pointless and gets you nothing but regret.


Original picture from: http://www.freewaregames.net/myblog/image.axd?picture=game_consoles2.png

The picture was modified by expanding the canvas, duplicating the layer, inverting it, and setting it on the other side.

Frustration...on a WHOLE new level

GTA IV was released on Tuesday and I have been playing non-stop since I got it. While away from my 360, however, I have been introduced/challenged by two games: Super Mario Forever and I Wanna Be The Guy. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these games, they are HARD. Forget whatever concept you had of something being hard and throw it out the window, pour gasoline over it, light it on fire, then extinguish it with holy water.



Super Mario Forever is a modification (commonly known as a mod) of Super Mario Bros. from the Nintendo Entertainment System. I have played some hard games like the unreleased Super Mario Bros. 2 that was only released in Japan and Ninja Gaiden. I thought I knew what frustration was and was I ever wrong. Here's a screenshot of the first SECOND of gameplay.





The second game is "I Wanna Be The Guy" and let me tell you something folks. Take what you just learned as hard, and repeat the process that you used the first time because this game takes it to ANOTHER level that is astronomically different than what you think of as hard. This game is so hard, I actually use Super Mario Forever to WIND DOWN. Let me say that again, I use Super Mario Forever to WIND DOWN. Yeah, it's THAT difficult.

I am stubborn, so eventually I'll beat it.

Here's my review of "I Wanna Be The Guy".

Copyright Information
"White and Nerdy" by Wierd Al Yankovic
"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by The Offspring
"Hail to the Chief" from soundzabound.com

The picture is my screenshot of Super Mario Forever.