My So-Called Gaming Life

While I have my slumps of non-gaming, I've considered myself quite capable of fitting in an hour here and there during the week to devote to video games. Of course, this means I'm often playing catch-up with the stack of games I haven't even gotten out of the shrink wrap, but I get enough in to satisfy my gaming need. This all changed when I had the opportunity to game in a week more than I have any week since the end of my pre-motherhood days.

Where it all happened.

I had to go out of town to visit my parents. I had to travel solo (no child or spouse), so to keep me occupied, I stopped at my local Hastings on the way to the airport. I had originally been looking for a puzzle magazine to fiddle with when I couldn't use my DS (I'd brought Puzzler World) on the plane.

When I couldn't find the particular magazines I wanted (either Games Magazine or their World of Puzzles magazine), I started browsing the DS games section. In my cheapskate ways (especially since I was buying retail), I only paid attention to the used titles. I nearly picked up Pokemon White, but it wasn't in the original case, and if I'm paying $30 for a used game, I'd better damn well get the original case with it. Fortunately for me, I found Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for $19.99 (they tried to charge me $22.99, but an old price sticker left on the box saved the day).

Sure, eventually I'll get past this screen . . .

I have played various Zelda games over the years, but the only other one I actually own is Windwaker. Of course, I was soon to find out that Phantom Hourglass is the sequel to Windwaker, so it works out. Plus, I happen to have the strategy guide which I picked up at Goodwill for $.99 (their paperbacks are buy one get one free, so I also got Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov).

Normally, a game like this would take me months (if not a year) to complete. Over the course of flying and just having delectable hours a day to myself, I was able to get 3/4 of the way through the game by the time I got back home. And let's not speak about how much further I've gotten through since I've been home . . . cause it's not much, if anything, really.

And hopefully you believe that I ever actually made it this far.

These events have caused me to really and truly realize how much time is 'lost' to everyday issues. When you're a kid, you can run home after school and plop down in front of the tv to pick up where you had stopped the day before on whatever game you were playing. Hey, maybe you even left the system running overnight (because who could beat Super Mario Bros. 3 in one run anyway). And you probably even had to yell (or lie) to your parents that your homework was already done. Ahh, those were the days. No job, no errands, no taxes, no dishes or laundry. Sure, sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of blissfully wasting hours on a daily basis, but that daydream lasts but a few seconds. I lived through all that, and I'm an adult now. I'd rather just stay an adult. Life is worth the fewer hours with controller in hand.

(**This article was originally written December 2012. I have since beaten Phantom Hourglass.**)

Blog Update!

Thinking up some good stuff to write.

Hello, fellows who happen upon my blog.

I just wanted to give you a heads up that this is not all lost and forgotten.

I have been going through some personal stuff over the past year, and it's been hard getting back into writing . . . or anything creative, really.

Hopefully, this will change soon. I already have some posts half-written and should be able to publish something in the next week.

Thanks for your patience, and be sure to return!

Much love and appreciation,
-Kyh

A Wannabe Collector Too

I am a lucky gamer.

I once asked my significant other if when I brought home random gaming stuffs or bought them off the internet if he thought "Oh great, another box of useless shit". He thought about it for a minute and said, "I guess that's true, but, no, I don't think that" :)

So, as you can imagine, I've been buying lots of useless shit lately. And what I once read on the internet is true: you have to watch out about becoming a collector because all too soon it becomes an obsession. Obsession? No, no, no. That'll never be me. I thought as I checked the pseudo-Craigslist every hour. (I live way out in the boonies, so we don't have real Craigslist. It's just some stupid website run by some locals who feel the need to shut down their site every freaking Sunday!)

Oh, NES, someday you'll be mine again.

What's maybe a little sad is that this obse . . . um, 'hobby' has come to the point where I've started collecting games for systems I hope to own someday. You know, when I find it at the right price at the right time and place. (Please remember that I live out in the middle of nowhere without flea markets, so I'm left with online and thrift stores.) Hell, if it's cheap enough, I don't mind the games sitting on my game shelf. Not like I really play the games I do have the system for :(

Sometimes I think, Well, this is certainly a waste of money, but I rationalize it to myself by saying that I don't spend money on manicures/pedicures, I don't go to a salon to get my hair cut and I don't buy clothes to keep up with the latest fashion trends (though with my subscriptions to Vogue, Elle and Runway, you'd think otherwise) . . . you know, stereotypical 'girly' stuff, so I think it's okay to spend a few bucks here and there on video games. (Longest sentence ever!)

I certainly wouldn't want to encourage or discourage anyone from collecting games, but here are a few things I've learned over my transition into a collector:

1. Unless money isn't a concern, be aware that getting the more coveted games are going to cost you. If you don't happen upon a random copy of Earthbound for the SNES from someone who has no idea what they have, you'd better be prepared to spend $100+ to get it. Sorry, I don't see it's value dropping any time soon (or ever).
2. Know what you're jumping into before shelling out the shells (however few) for something. Find a few websites (always good to have multiple sources) that you can check up on for price checks. (I like Rarity Guide and Price Charting , but don't be afraid to find others.)



And these are just my recent PS1 purchases.

3. Don't just take things at face value. Just because some guy on a website says he has a PS1 controller for sale and you agree upon a price shouldn't stop you from looking it over once you have it in your hands and depressing all the buttons, plugging it in, etc. I always look any game over before buying. And I'm not just talking about CDs, I check the boards on cartridge games too. Sure you can't exactly tell if there's something wrong, but if it's insanely dirty or has a gouge in it, it may be better to avoid (not to mention this, in particular, can tell you if a GBA cart is pirated).

I'm no expert; I know I still have a lot to learn about as far as collecting goes, but I thought it might be nice for other beginners out there to hear about collecting from someone who's a beginner herself. Someday I'll have a collection worthy of its own game room video, but for now, my games and systems will have to be content taking up a little bit of shelf space in my closet. And I don't mind it one bit, it's a sort of personal haven for me.

Interview with a Vampire (and Other Scary Things) Flee-er

The past week or two, I spent a fair amount of hours with an indie game by by Dreampainters called Anna. Being 'in the industry', I was privy to a review copy of it. I was really impressed with the graphics and mysterious story, and of course adventure games always catch my eye. But I passed on reviewing it cause I'm such a weenie when it comes to horror games (though I did offer to do the walkthrough). So if you hate scary games, why did you play through it (more than once, I heard)? What kept you going? Well, let's discuss that, shall we?

Random scary event. Fun.

Right off the bat, I got that freaky feeling, just because Anna's in first person (Really? Yes, really. That's why I don't play first person shooters). After about 30-40 minutes of play, I hadn't run into any sort of jump scare (where ghosts and goblins and the like jump out from behind the bushes just to catch you off guard). I find jump scares a poor tactic on a game developer's part as it relies much less on atmosphere and other aspects to just go for ye olde 'boo'. Their absence helped me push through the game.

So other than your odd idiosyncrasy with camera views, what did you find scary? Hmm, I think Dreampainters did a fabulous job with atmosphere. While interesting to look at, all the details in the virtual world couldn't help the fact that you're alone. So you never see anyone in the game? Well . . . not as such. An essential coupling in a scary game is not only the world you create, but also how completely you do so. Nevermind the stack of books you painstakingly created titles for or the fact that your attention to detail ensured that the kitchen had a full compliment of appliances and not just a sink. I'm talking about entertaining as many of the senses that a computer game can: not just visually, but aurally as well.

This game makes even plants look scary.

Umm, orally? I know you're not afraid of adult topics, but come on. No, no, no. Aurally. As in hearing, the ears, sounds. Oh, right. Don't mind me, I'm not thinking anything dirty. Going back to my example before, it's not enough to have made a realistic setting. Who cares that you bothered to put a dishwasher in your haunted kitchen? Now if it starts to run periodically when you're not looking . . . that's freaky. Wind howling outside through thin-paned windows? I'm shivering. Random tin cans flying through the air at you? Well, at that point I just turn the sound off. You get my point? Huh? What? Oh, yeah, yeah whatever. I was just sitting here googling "oral games". Interesting results . . . It appears I'm beginning to lose your interest, so I'll just tack on a quick conclusion paragraph below and let you get back to your internet 'fun' . . .


Ahem, as I was saying. Anna=pretty cool game. Read JohnB's full review of it here. Then purchase and download the game and use my walkthrough if needed. I got a lot of help from Cinnamon Toast Ken, whose youtube videos are entertaining, so watch them, like, subscribe or follow him on the Twit-thing. Oh, and me too. Last self-promotion: my stuff on Jay is Games and The Punk Effect (new stuff is coming soon, I promise). Check it!

Kyh's Finds

As I continue this journey deeper and deeper into retro gaming, I've become more intrigued by game collecting. Sure, it's easy enough to find most stuff on the internet (I certainly do more than my share of trolling through Ebay), but by searching through physical bins in places near you, that's when it becomes really exciting. Before I continue, I have to give most of the credit for my new obsession to The Game Chasers. They do not currently have their own website, but you can find their stuff on RetrowareTV and Blip. They tote themselves as American Pickers for video games. It's great stuff.

I hope to make this a regular column as I find more and more cool stuff. Unfortunately, I live in a tiny community and the nearest town with a Gamestop has no independent video game stores. Thus, I'm forced to resort to the many thrift stores in the area. It's not so bad, just very hit or miss. All of my finds today come from Goodwill.

Sigh. How I love to beat up the pedestrians.

A couple of months ago, I went into my local Goodwill (which happens to be by my dentist) and saw a PS2 behind the counter. I was mesmerized and knew I wanted it. When I asked the price, the lady told me $45. I didn't have the money, so I passed on it (it ended up selling several weeks later, though I did get one more chance to drool over it). It was the set of Xbox games, though that really got my attention. I knew these would be more in my price range.

Among the small stack of mostly sports games, one particular title caught my eye. Grand Theft Auto III. On the Xbox was where I learned to love this series (Vice City, I believe), so right away I wanted it. When I asked the lady how much, she said $2.99. Hey, three bucks ain't too bad. The manual and map are in excellent shape and the disc only had a few tiny scratches. So I bought it. Quite a pleasing game chasing experience.

Aww, childhood memories . . .

Fast forward to a week or two ago, and I'm in the same Goodwill, hoping for another satisfying find. I knew they didn't have anything in their case (this time I did have the cash for a PS2), so I just wandered around their basic electronics section. I'm just hoping for maybe an accessory or extra controller, but lo and behold, I find a PSOne underneath an adding machine. I couldn't believe myself, this was one of the systems I had growing up (well, the earlier version, at least)! I didn't see any of the cables, but I did find the instruction manual and a third party controller. $4.99 for the system, $2.99 for the controller. Not bad, I'll take them.

In my excitement and eagerness to find those dang cables, I continue scouring the shelves. Double jackpot! I found a lone Sega Genesis under some more junk! I couldn't believe that I'd found these systems on the same day in the same store. Sure, they're relatively common consoles, but if you only knew the isolation I live in, you'd understand. $4.99 for this system as well, why not.

Completely new territory for me.

I looked over each system carefully to make sure I wasn't just dumping my money into total crap. The latch for the PS door stuck a little, but nothing too bad, and the laser crystal looked pretty clean. Especially considering the gunk on the rest of it. Nothing a little rubbing alcohol couldn't fix. The Genesis looked to be in even better shape (perhaps surprising considering how much older it is than the PS). I opened the dust cover and it looked clean in there. Clean enough to play an old cartridge, at least.

I took my treasure up to the counter to pay. There were a few people ahead of me, so I glanced behind the glass as usual. Hey! That looks like a Playstation A/V cable! Sure enough, it was. The guy let me have it, and in my excitement, I forgot to ask if I could get some kind of discount for buying both systems. Ah well, $13 for all that isn't bad at all. Another pleasing game chasing time.

A few days later, I did go back to Goodwill to see if I could find the other cables I needed for the consoles but didn't see them. I'm pleading with you readers, if you know where I can find them for cheap (or perhaps, have them laying around your house), please let me know! I know where I can get PS A/V cables $1 apiece . . .

I'd love to hear about your own game chasing experience, if you'd like to share in the comments below.

P.S. - I got the gig at The Punk Effect. Look out for my articles there. Or if you follow me on Twitter, I'll tweet when they go up.

A Case Against Gamerism

Sad to say, not only does the world at large continue to have prejudices, but so does the gaming world. I can't say that I haven't been guilty of it myself, and I'm certainly not trying to start any type of movement, but I thought I'd just discuss my feelings about what I call 'gamerism', or the disdain that 'hardcore' gamers may have for 'casual' gamers (admittedly, it goes the other way too).

JiGman!

'Casual gamer' means something different now than it did ten years ago. Back then, a casual gamer was just what the individual words mean: it's a gamer who plays occasionally and is not always up to date on gaming news. Nowadays with mobile and online gaming and consoles like the Wii and DS being marketed toward a family friendly gaming experience, there are a lot more opportunities to be a casual gamer, so there are more of them out there (myself included, in case I haven't mentioned my freelance writing job at JayisGames.com enough).

A 'hardcore gamer', on the other hand, is someone whose gaming is much more prominent in their day-to-day life. It has little to do with what genres they prefer (the same is true with a casual gamer) and more to do with . . . how they game, I suppose is an appropriate way of saying it.

As the title of this blog suggests, I am against this type of discrimination and don't understand the feelings behind it. Do hardcore gamers feel their images are threatened when casual gamers call themselves 'gamers'? Maybe despite the prejudices between gamers and non-gamers, hardcore gamers like the separation and don't want their way of life to enter mainstream society in any way.

Can't we all just be Friends?

Hmm . . . I think that last statement is where my theory stands. At least to me, casual gamers are a step between non-gamers and hardcore gamers. They still enjoy the entertainment proved by the electronic device of their choice without feeling like they need to spend much more of their free time gaming. Can't we all just share in the joy video games bring us? Can't we all just accept one another however many hours we devote to our common hobby? Can't we all just get . . . No, I'll just stop right there . . .

Please, if you're a hardcore gamer reading this, reach out to your casual brethren and accept them. I'm not expecting you to do so with open arms, just maybe a friendly wave. If not that, then at least keep your feelings to yourself from time to time. I'd be happy if I never heard a hardcore gamer look the other way at a casual game just because it's a casual game. Yeah, that's right, I'm scoffing at you! Psh!

[Disclaimer: Just my opinions, duh. I know I could've dug deeper into the issue and I didn't even try to define a 'gamer' in the first place, but I hate overly long blogs. So there ya go.]

Ideas, Ideas Everywhere . . .

As I delve deeper into my creative wants and needs, I have a strong desire to give more than just my words. I have dreams of videos and podcasts and the like. If I ever moved to the San Francisco area (a future possibility), I would certainly try jumping into the video game journalism niche. Ooh, please, someone, send me to a convention! (cheapass)

My claw-like hand at ready.

I visit far too many video game-related websites and spend far too much time on them, but one good thing that comes of it is I am more aware of contribution opportunities. Right now I know of a website, The Punk Effect, that is looking for both writing and video contributors. There's no word as to whether or not it's paid, but really, for me it's just exciting to think I could be a contributor to a website I enjoy so much (much like for my current freelance job).

I think that having discovered just how much joy I get from my hobby/obsession, I want so badly to put all my creative juices into it. I even have ideas for video game-related crafts! Sadly, the issue is with time. I happen to have a 'real' job, a 'fake' freelance writing job, a husband, a kid, two cats, a dog, etc. aka 'a life'. I'm not saying that people who are able to put the efforts into their hobbies don't have a life, just that I understand that they're more dedicated than perhaps I. But I'm determined to change!

Perhaps one of the biggest problems I face is the simple fact that many of my ideas are too big for myself. In that I mean that what I would like to do would require too much time to put together (effects, desire of quality and whatnot). So much so that it just ends up scaring me away from it. 'Oh, I don't want to start that project cause I know I only have half an hour to work right now. I'll start it later when I have more time.'

Where the magic happens.

I have this weird belief that if I tell someone about what I'm going to do, then I'll actually get it done. Unfortunately, that hasn't worked in the past (I've given up training for a marathon, though I continue to run) and it's hardly pushing me now (I actually have a person lined up and ready to do music for me). Perhaps this post will help me along my desired path. I'll deal with my overly big ideas, and how about you help me with the encouragement? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below or in a private message or however. I know it even if you don't say anything. After all, Blogger tells me every time you visit >:)