Teenagers. They think they know it all. They think that they're the first person to ever think of or do something in the history of everything. They believe they're invincible, physically and emotionally, and that they can do what they want, when they want, how they want, and that parents will never know the difference.
Where have I heard this before? Oh....that's right! I posted about how Youngest Son tried to abuse his Facebook privileges and posted items that were not appropriate. And that post was only two days ago! And guess what? He tries to pull another stunt like I won't punish him twice in a week.
Today I allowed him to look at his Facebook page while I monitored everything he viewed. I only allowed him 15 minutes of time online because he's still on my naughty list for the previous infraction. Today, however, he did use common sense and didn't repost items from his friends and even avoided watching videos some had posted because he knows that the house rules say he's not allowed to open documents or watch videos without prior permission (because of the possibility of viruses, etc.).
This evening, he went into where the family computer is and asked Husband if he could look at his Facebook page. Husband was in the process of signing-in to a website and told him that he (Youngest Son) could not look at his Facebook page at that time because he (Husband) was using the computer. Youngest Son stomped into the living room where I was watching television. I had not heard anything from the other room and asked why he was so upset. He told me that Husband had stated that he (Husband) would never supervise him while he looks at his Facebook page and was upset about it.
I went into the other room and asked Husband why he wouldn't share the responsibility of supervising Youngest Son on the computer. Husband said that he didn't say that and called Youngest Son into the room. Finally, I got to the truth -- that Youngest Son had lied to me in order to try to get me to make Husband let him (Youngest Son) use the computer.
Wrong move.
My kids have known all their lives that one of the worst things to do is to try to play Husband and myself against each other. Asking for permission from one and getting rejected and running to the other to ask the same question hoping for a different answer is not allowed. And getting caught doing it, well, that's just going to make any punishment worse.
So, tonight I decided that Youngest Son needs a good example of just how much he won't die without Facebook. Or the Internet as a whole. Or his cell phone. Or any other electronic devices.
That's right. I've unplugged a 13-year-old, much to his disappointment, and he can now learn for the rest of this week and all of next week (into the weekend as well) what it was like when his father and I didn't have video games or text messaging or television (except when the news was on when our parents watched it). Nothing electronic will be allowed. Not even small toys that run on button batteries. He can read, draw, walk the dog -- lots of activities that generations of us did before every child seemed born with a Nintendo DS in their hands.
He'll only be allowed to have his cell phone when we leave home (in case of emergencies) and when he's at school (for emergencies only as well). No portable game systems. No console game systems. No MP3 players. He can use his calculator for math class but he won't because he doesn't need it. And he can listen to the radio when he's going to bed because he's got the same problem I have -- if it's too quiet when trying to go to sleep, sleep never comes.
And Husband and I won't be punishing ourselves through this. We can use all of the electronics we want. We can watch the only television in the house when we want (he'll just have to go to his room). And we can play all the video games we want, even though we won't. I've always hated it when trying to punish a child and ending up being on the receiving end of the same punishment (no television, etc.). Now he'll have to deal with hearing us going on with our lives while he contemplates the error of his ways.
Hopefully he will learn from this, even though it does give me an easy topic to blog about when nothing else happens during the day.
Showing posts with label videogame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label videogame. Show all posts
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Dull, dull, dull....
Pretty boring day. Took medicine and then took a nap. Got up to watch TV and worked around the house. Broke a tooth and went to the dentist. Scheduled another dental appointment for next week to have tooth taken care of. Made dinner. Got a text that Step-Father fell and broke his lower leg. Watched TV. Tried to play videogame and got stuck within the first 15 minutes. Ate dinner. Watched Big Bang Theory. Realized I'd not written a blog yet. Got laptop out and started typing.
Pretty sad when you can sum-up your day in less than 100 words. Oh well, not every day is going to be thrilling. Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting. Youngest Son has the day off, and he'll be busy preparing for his sleepover Saturday night. At least I remembered to post something tonight.
Pretty sad when you can sum-up your day in less than 100 words. Oh well, not every day is going to be thrilling. Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting. Youngest Son has the day off, and he'll be busy preparing for his sleepover Saturday night. At least I remembered to post something tonight.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Persistant Portal Preoccupation
What is it about video games that make grownups want to sit for hours and "prove" their mastery of what five-year-olds can do with little thought?
I've already posted about my love of Lego-branded video games. But Youngest Son wanted a special game for the holidays. One that has become a part of today's pop culture that you've either played it and get all the jokes or you have no idea about what everyone is blithering. People have begun to decorate their houses, cars, and even themselves in the new meme. It took me a while to find the game because he wasn't sure how to locate the original game that has everyone raving about the sequel. And now, I'm addicted.
Portal. Little red/orange and blue circles. Why are they so intriguing??
I did the research and found that the original Portal game came out in The Orange Box along with two other games that most people played until they tried Portal and then totally forgot about them. I didn't know that at first and had been searching everywhere for a stand-alone game that didn't exist. When I happened to stumble upon the needed game for the PlayStation 3, I made sure to snatch it as quickly as I could. And then I went back and paid for it.
I gave Youngest Son the game because I knew he'd need to be familiar with it before I could purchase the game he really wanted. I sat and watched him figure out the puzzles and followed the storyline. It was cute and I figured if he could do it, so could I.
What took him just a few days to complete took me well over a week. The game actually requires you to use concepts of physics and critical thinking to solve the puzzles. I took physics. I did pretty well in the class. I consider myself very intelligent. And I have no idea how even after watching the puzzles being solved I would get really confused on where to go or what to do. Simple tasks seemed to be the most challenging and I had to remind myself to "think smarter, not harder" throughout the game. I was determined to finish it and finally did....with help from Youngest Son.
So when the holidays came along I was ready to give Youngest Son the present he'd been hoping for all year. Portal 2. The sequel. A bigger storyline and even cooperative play ability in multiplayer-mode. Famous guest stars doing voiceovers of new characters that help expand the Portal universe and make it even more fun to play.
Youngest Son was beside himself with joy and promptly began playing. Within less than a week, he was finished and then began again in order to win all of the trophies. And as of this moment, I've forgotten how many times he's replayed the story mode. I've only been able to finish it once all the way through and there are many trophies that I should have easily obtained but for the life of me I can't figure out. Sure, I could go online and look for cheats and walkthrough but I should be able to figure it out on my own.
Every site I went to told me the same information and I analyzed the videos of "professionals" playing the game and tried to copy their moves. Still I haven't been able to complete them all. But I refuse to give-up. Sooner or later, I'll have those trophies and I'll even try to earn all of the cooperative play trophies. I've got to get to 100% finished. It's a goal -- not a major goal, but a goal just the same.
We have strict rules in the house about how much time the kids are allowed to play video games. If we didn't, I know that Eldest Son would have never finished any homework in high school and Youngest Son would only be able to speak like the villans in Crash Bandicoot. Each child is given one hour per day if all homework, instrument practice, and chores are completed. Even with these limitations, both were always able to speed through every game they bought.
What is it that makes it so easy for them? Here's my theory -- they don't care.
Being kids who've grown up in a world saturated with computers, electronic gizmos, and made-up characters they're able to disconnect from the character and attempt the impossible jumps and dash through dangerous puzzles without a second thought. Adults, who didn't have the luxury of video games and had to actually interact with others while using their imagination when playing, subconsciously become "attached" to the character as if it's an extension of themselves and aren't so willing to take chances.
Does this have any impact on the future of our world? I have no idea. It's just a theory I have and I've not had time or desire to absolutely test it. I'm sure there are scientists somewhere that have begun a full-scale experiment based on this theory and are preparing their dissertations as we speak.
All I know is that for now I need to be able to move through those colored rings without firing the wrong color and ending up bashing my character against a wall again.
I've already posted about my love of Lego-branded video games. But Youngest Son wanted a special game for the holidays. One that has become a part of today's pop culture that you've either played it and get all the jokes or you have no idea about what everyone is blithering. People have begun to decorate their houses, cars, and even themselves in the new meme. It took me a while to find the game because he wasn't sure how to locate the original game that has everyone raving about the sequel. And now, I'm addicted.
Portal. Little red/orange and blue circles. Why are they so intriguing??
I did the research and found that the original Portal game came out in The Orange Box along with two other games that most people played until they tried Portal and then totally forgot about them. I didn't know that at first and had been searching everywhere for a stand-alone game that didn't exist. When I happened to stumble upon the needed game for the PlayStation 3, I made sure to snatch it as quickly as I could. And then I went back and paid for it.
I gave Youngest Son the game because I knew he'd need to be familiar with it before I could purchase the game he really wanted. I sat and watched him figure out the puzzles and followed the storyline. It was cute and I figured if he could do it, so could I.
What took him just a few days to complete took me well over a week. The game actually requires you to use concepts of physics and critical thinking to solve the puzzles. I took physics. I did pretty well in the class. I consider myself very intelligent. And I have no idea how even after watching the puzzles being solved I would get really confused on where to go or what to do. Simple tasks seemed to be the most challenging and I had to remind myself to "think smarter, not harder" throughout the game. I was determined to finish it and finally did....with help from Youngest Son.
So when the holidays came along I was ready to give Youngest Son the present he'd been hoping for all year. Portal 2. The sequel. A bigger storyline and even cooperative play ability in multiplayer-mode. Famous guest stars doing voiceovers of new characters that help expand the Portal universe and make it even more fun to play.
Youngest Son was beside himself with joy and promptly began playing. Within less than a week, he was finished and then began again in order to win all of the trophies. And as of this moment, I've forgotten how many times he's replayed the story mode. I've only been able to finish it once all the way through and there are many trophies that I should have easily obtained but for the life of me I can't figure out. Sure, I could go online and look for cheats and walkthrough but I should be able to figure it out on my own.
Every site I went to told me the same information and I analyzed the videos of "professionals" playing the game and tried to copy their moves. Still I haven't been able to complete them all. But I refuse to give-up. Sooner or later, I'll have those trophies and I'll even try to earn all of the cooperative play trophies. I've got to get to 100% finished. It's a goal -- not a major goal, but a goal just the same.
We have strict rules in the house about how much time the kids are allowed to play video games. If we didn't, I know that Eldest Son would have never finished any homework in high school and Youngest Son would only be able to speak like the villans in Crash Bandicoot. Each child is given one hour per day if all homework, instrument practice, and chores are completed. Even with these limitations, both were always able to speed through every game they bought.
What is it that makes it so easy for them? Here's my theory -- they don't care.
Being kids who've grown up in a world saturated with computers, electronic gizmos, and made-up characters they're able to disconnect from the character and attempt the impossible jumps and dash through dangerous puzzles without a second thought. Adults, who didn't have the luxury of video games and had to actually interact with others while using their imagination when playing, subconsciously become "attached" to the character as if it's an extension of themselves and aren't so willing to take chances.
Does this have any impact on the future of our world? I have no idea. It's just a theory I have and I've not had time or desire to absolutely test it. I'm sure there are scientists somewhere that have begun a full-scale experiment based on this theory and are preparing their dissertations as we speak.
All I know is that for now I need to be able to move through those colored rings without firing the wrong color and ending up bashing my character against a wall again.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Discovery's "Combat Cash" is crap!
Reality TV is stupid. It's beyond stupid. And it's certainly not any reality I'm familiar with -- actual or imaginary.
People have become hooked on watching other people do incredibly stupid things to get on television with the hopes of winning money, getting married, or just for their 15 minutes of fame. And what passes for "reality" television these days is horrible.
Last night, I suffered through Discovery Channel's latest "reality" show, Combat Cash. I figured that someone, like myself, who is into militaria and World War II reenacting would enjoy a show about others who have the same interests and perhaps I might learn a thing or two. I learned something alright....I learned that these guys are idiots.
Let's go back a bit for those who aren't personally familiar with who I am and what I do. When I'm not working disasters with a certain governmental agency, I run an online military surplus retail store (you can find the website in my profile information). Husband and I have collected, bought, sold, and traded military items from almost every major conflict and most of the major players in them. We specialize in items from World War I to the Vietnam Conflict (although, every veteran and civilian I've ever met that was in Vietnam at that time said it sounded more like a war than a "conflict"). Our main speciality is World War II GI (American) Military Police and the 35th Infantry Division. We even attend World War II reenactments where, yes, we as fully-grown adults dress-up in uniforms (mostly reproductions since originals are hard to come by these days) and play "good-guy/bad-guy" with others dressed as Germans. We attend as either US 35th Division MPs if it's a Western Front event and as USSR NKVD if it's an Eastern Front event. Many of our friends portray British, Italian, German, GI, partisan, and Soviet and we have a good time running in the woods shooting blanks at each other just like kids used to do when playing "Cowboys and Indians" with their old cap guns and toy bow-and-arrow sets. It's pretty much the same, actually....except that the "guns" are actual military surplus and cost a LOT more than your average plastic six-shooter but the amount of squabbling over who did and didn't get "killed" is still pretty much the same.
So, it's pretty safe to say that we know what our items are and what they aren't. We've had to become adept at detecting the faked items from the real thing -- and these days it's getting harder and harder to do. There are companies that not only make almost perfect copies of WWII German medals/awards, they even have reproduced the boxes in which they were originally presented!! That's one reason I won't buy German militaria unless I can absolutely, without-a-doubt prove that it's original. Too many fakes out there for my wallet. Sure, it's great to buy reproduction items when you're on a budget and need something for a collection to hold a place until you can get an authentic item or if you plan to run around in the woods and don't want to take your incredibly expensive originals out to play. But if you're buying and selling items to make a profit and you don't have a clue as to what is and isn't real and how the fakes are fooling many, then you're in big trouble.
I grudgingly sat down with Husband to watch the premiere episode of Combat Cash last night and laughed about how we'd been contacted months ago by "producers" saying that they worked with Discovery, TLC, and other big cable networks who wanted to do a reality show about military surplus collectors/dealers and if we would be interested. First of all, this "request" came by email from someone I had no idea and couldn't find information about who they were. Secondly, why would I want to show where I purchase my inventory or how I get awesome deals on it?? It's like announcing to the world, "Here's how it's done, so be sure to get there before I do because I don't have the desire to actually make money anymore. Oh, and while you're at it, here's where we live/work so you can see our collection and steal it from us. M'kay?"
The first episode was awful. Pure and simple -- just awful. As a matter of fact, I started live-posting on Facebook about it when I wasn't either laughing myself silly or having a fit over something stupid said or done on the show. I posted on my profile and our business' page. Here's a sample:
These yahoos they call "hosts" of the show started walking through the vendor area and were talking about how "Midwestern prices" are insanely low and how they could go in, buy a lot of stuff, and sell it for twice or three times what they paid to customers in California. Oh, goody!! They're not only incompetent at identifying items or putting reasonable values on them, but now they're insulting us who live/work in the Midwest by basically typecasting us as ignorant rednecks and hillbillies who are too stupid to know what things are "really" worth.
In the show, they make a point of saying that they're very busy finding new items for their store and that the store is open by appointment only. Who can make a living operating that way? And they charged the videogame dudes $5000 to record sounds of weapons when they could have easily flown themselves to Knob Creek, Kentucky for one of their Machine Gun Shoots and gotten all the effects they needed for a lot less than that! The final straw for me was watching these goobers argue over whether or not to purchase a BSA paratrooper bicycle and watching the seller get really irritated at their squabbling. It was finally decided that if one of the guys jumped out of a plane that they would buy it. Huh??? It wasn't even the seller offering to take the guy skydiving!! Why would you settle a purchase argument by spending more money???
I hope this show either (1) goes off the air soon so that reputable militaria collectors/vendors like myself and many other companies we affiliate with will be able to continue selling items before the general public starts ranting "But on Combat Cash they offered a guy more!" or (2) that they find someone who actually knows what he/she is doing to educate these people that the whole militaria collecting world doesn't revolve around what's done in southern California.
But, I did notice one of the guys lost a rear sight on the M1 Carbine he borrowed for the D-Day battle. I've got an original WWII one for sale!! Maybe I'll inflate my price on it, just so they'll feel more comfortable!!
People have become hooked on watching other people do incredibly stupid things to get on television with the hopes of winning money, getting married, or just for their 15 minutes of fame. And what passes for "reality" television these days is horrible.
Last night, I suffered through Discovery Channel's latest "reality" show, Combat Cash. I figured that someone, like myself, who is into militaria and World War II reenacting would enjoy a show about others who have the same interests and perhaps I might learn a thing or two. I learned something alright....I learned that these guys are idiots.
Let's go back a bit for those who aren't personally familiar with who I am and what I do. When I'm not working disasters with a certain governmental agency, I run an online military surplus retail store (you can find the website in my profile information). Husband and I have collected, bought, sold, and traded military items from almost every major conflict and most of the major players in them. We specialize in items from World War I to the Vietnam Conflict (although, every veteran and civilian I've ever met that was in Vietnam at that time said it sounded more like a war than a "conflict"). Our main speciality is World War II GI (American) Military Police and the 35th Infantry Division. We even attend World War II reenactments where, yes, we as fully-grown adults dress-up in uniforms (mostly reproductions since originals are hard to come by these days) and play "good-guy/bad-guy" with others dressed as Germans. We attend as either US 35th Division MPs if it's a Western Front event and as USSR NKVD if it's an Eastern Front event. Many of our friends portray British, Italian, German, GI, partisan, and Soviet and we have a good time running in the woods shooting blanks at each other just like kids used to do when playing "Cowboys and Indians" with their old cap guns and toy bow-and-arrow sets. It's pretty much the same, actually....except that the "guns" are actual military surplus and cost a LOT more than your average plastic six-shooter but the amount of squabbling over who did and didn't get "killed" is still pretty much the same.
So, it's pretty safe to say that we know what our items are and what they aren't. We've had to become adept at detecting the faked items from the real thing -- and these days it's getting harder and harder to do. There are companies that not only make almost perfect copies of WWII German medals/awards, they even have reproduced the boxes in which they were originally presented!! That's one reason I won't buy German militaria unless I can absolutely, without-a-doubt prove that it's original. Too many fakes out there for my wallet. Sure, it's great to buy reproduction items when you're on a budget and need something for a collection to hold a place until you can get an authentic item or if you plan to run around in the woods and don't want to take your incredibly expensive originals out to play. But if you're buying and selling items to make a profit and you don't have a clue as to what is and isn't real and how the fakes are fooling many, then you're in big trouble.
I grudgingly sat down with Husband to watch the premiere episode of Combat Cash last night and laughed about how we'd been contacted months ago by "producers" saying that they worked with Discovery, TLC, and other big cable networks who wanted to do a reality show about military surplus collectors/dealers and if we would be interested. First of all, this "request" came by email from someone I had no idea and couldn't find information about who they were. Secondly, why would I want to show where I purchase my inventory or how I get awesome deals on it?? It's like announcing to the world, "Here's how it's done, so be sure to get there before I do because I don't have the desire to actually make money anymore. Oh, and while you're at it, here's where we live/work so you can see our collection and steal it from us. M'kay?"
The first episode was awful. Pure and simple -- just awful. As a matter of fact, I started live-posting on Facebook about it when I wasn't either laughing myself silly or having a fit over something stupid said or done on the show. I posted on my profile and our business' page. Here's a sample:
"Watching the premiere episode of Discovery Channel's 'Combat Cash.' OMG!! These guys are idiots! They say they know everyone in military collecting -- well, we've never heard of them! Getting ready to watch the episode that includes WWII reenactors. This should be a fiasco!"You get the idea. And the show also featured them going to the annual Conneaut, Ohio D-Day reenactment. Now, I've never had the opportunity to attend that even but I've heard it's pretty awesome. The last D-Day invasion I participated in was the 50th anniversary reenactment at Ft. Story, Virginia. That was AWESOME! But, I digress....
"Watching Discovery Channel's new show 'Combat Cash." The premiere episode was incredibly stupid. Watching the second episode which is supposed to feature WWII reenactors. They just said that 'not many people have this kind of firepower (i.e. M1 Garands, MP40s, MG34s, etc.).' No....not in southern California where they are they don't! They're using the firearms to record sound effects for a WWII videogame that has dinosaurs as Hitler's mechanized weapons. We'll maybe they at least won't have someone yelling 'Take your hit!' like Medal of Honor: Underground had. That is, if they don't kill themselves -- range safety seems nonexistent!"
"Okay....just to let everyone know, we saw the 'Combat Cash' guys sell an "original" M1 steel pot painted with medic insignia for $1250. No, there's not a decimal point missing out of that -- they sold it for twelve hundred fifty dollars!! Now everyone will believe ANY painted "WWII" helmet is worth at least that. And they didn't even prove that it was "original" (stamps, seams, etc.) that people who actually know their stuff would be sure to look for. I feel sorry for the guys who bought it 'cause now their names are all over national TV!"
These yahoos they call "hosts" of the show started walking through the vendor area and were talking about how "Midwestern prices" are insanely low and how they could go in, buy a lot of stuff, and sell it for twice or three times what they paid to customers in California. Oh, goody!! They're not only incompetent at identifying items or putting reasonable values on them, but now they're insulting us who live/work in the Midwest by basically typecasting us as ignorant rednecks and hillbillies who are too stupid to know what things are "really" worth.
In the show, they make a point of saying that they're very busy finding new items for their store and that the store is open by appointment only. Who can make a living operating that way? And they charged the videogame dudes $5000 to record sounds of weapons when they could have easily flown themselves to Knob Creek, Kentucky for one of their Machine Gun Shoots and gotten all the effects they needed for a lot less than that! The final straw for me was watching these goobers argue over whether or not to purchase a BSA paratrooper bicycle and watching the seller get really irritated at their squabbling. It was finally decided that if one of the guys jumped out of a plane that they would buy it. Huh??? It wasn't even the seller offering to take the guy skydiving!! Why would you settle a purchase argument by spending more money???
I hope this show either (1) goes off the air soon so that reputable militaria collectors/vendors like myself and many other companies we affiliate with will be able to continue selling items before the general public starts ranting "But on Combat Cash they offered a guy more!" or (2) that they find someone who actually knows what he/she is doing to educate these people that the whole militaria collecting world doesn't revolve around what's done in southern California.
But, I did notice one of the guys lost a rear sight on the M1 Carbine he borrowed for the D-Day battle. I've got an original WWII one for sale!! Maybe I'll inflate my price on it, just so they'll feel more comfortable!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Day 9: No post for you!
Geez....only 9 days into this thing and I'm stuck again. Well, actually not stuck -- my "voices" have decided to start arguing at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. Each one brings up an idea for something great to write about or something that I should probably get off my chest. Then I have the reminder "voices" that pester me about things I need to or should be doing instead of writing. They don't realize that they're wrong, actually, because I should be writing since this is what's supposed to be helping me feel better. However, I've learned not to argue with them too much because they're the ones that flip a manic day into a depressive one in a nanosecond and then I spend the rest of the day/week trying to explain to Husband and Youngest Son that it's in no way their fault that I'm in the funk that doesn't let me do much.
So, I'm not going to sit and try to really work-up something awesome. I've been enjoying that my posts have been becoming more and more popular recently. But there are things that need to be done and things I want to do as well as a lot of stuff I don't need to do but I'm going to anyway. Like taking a nap, or playing a videogame other than from the Lego series. Or taking a nap because I'm not getting to sleep at night with the "voices" arguing until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe I'll take a nap just because I can. Who'd have thought when I was a kid and hated having to take them that naps would become a favorite pastime of mine??
Oh, and tonight is the first night of auditions for our local community theatre's upcoming production. There will be a few posts, I'm sure, after the auditions are over and the rehearsals begin. Always good material when you're getting ready for a show!
So, short story long, there's nothing to see here. Clear off! Go read some of the other posts I've written that you've not perused yet! My brain and I are off for a bit of rest.
So, I'm not going to sit and try to really work-up something awesome. I've been enjoying that my posts have been becoming more and more popular recently. But there are things that need to be done and things I want to do as well as a lot of stuff I don't need to do but I'm going to anyway. Like taking a nap, or playing a videogame other than from the Lego series. Or taking a nap because I'm not getting to sleep at night with the "voices" arguing until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe I'll take a nap just because I can. Who'd have thought when I was a kid and hated having to take them that naps would become a favorite pastime of mine??
Oh, and tonight is the first night of auditions for our local community theatre's upcoming production. There will be a few posts, I'm sure, after the auditions are over and the rehearsals begin. Always good material when you're getting ready for a show!
So, short story long, there's nothing to see here. Clear off! Go read some of the other posts I've written that you've not perused yet! My brain and I are off for a bit of rest.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tale of a "Play-Well" videogame addict
Okay, okay....I'm hooked. I'm a middle-aged person who has become addicted to videogames. And not just any videogames -- I do have some sensibilities about myself. I play on the computer, my PS3 and my PSP. I even enjoy watching Youngest Son playing and trying to find the things going on in the background that are designed for those who are just observing and not the actual players. But I'm not addicted to MMORPGs (I do have a life). First-person shooters are fun and can be great stress relievers when needed. Platform games about Italian plumbers, lombaxes, bandicoots, and hedgehogs just aren't my style. And while I love a great puzzle game, sometimes I don't want to think when I'm playing -- I just want to play.
And don't get me started on the new motion-capture devices that have been added to new gaming systems to make you feel as if you're really "in" the game. True, some can be used as an exercise program for those, like me, who don't feel comfortable sweating it out in front of others, but I also enjoy having nice items hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves in my house. I moved away from an earthquake zone a few years ago and don't really want to feel that kind of shaking in my house again, especially when it's my fault.
No, the games I've become hooked on have a story. They have many characters. They're based on movies I've loved for years. And they're even cute when you blow-up part of the scenery or another character.
I've become enraptured with Legos.
I must explain that I've always loved Legos and those little blocks were lots of fun when I was a kid. I enjoyed them much more than my Lincoln Logs because I could never build anything other than the basic cabin shown on the canister. And don't get me started with Tinkertoys -- those things would splinter and crack as if they'd been shipped with their own termite infestation in every box. I could never build anything sturdy with them and if you got a rod stuck in one of the holes, you were doomed to have a wheel forever.
Legos when I was a kid was just a bunch of colored blocks and you had to use your imagination to decide what to build. Somewhere along the way, the creators decided to include instructions with certain kits and you could recreate objects and places from famous movies. I loved that my kids loved Legos -- it meant that I got to put them together for them which was always a thrill for me.
Years ago, Lego had tried to entice kids into becoming movie producers when they sold a special set that had a stop-motion camera and software kit. If you were lucky, you even got a minifigure that looked like Steven Spielberg. Suddenly, adults were creating stop-motion movies based on popular movies. Star Wars, Star Trek -- not much was off-limits. You can even find remakes of scenes from movies on YouTube done in Lego that are better than the originals.
But the geniuses behind Legos, video game corporations, and the movie industry got together and started a marketing frenzy. Not only could you build little sets and scenes from the movies you loved with actual bricks, you could now immerse yourself in a movie brought to life through animated bricks! Plus, the minifigures in the games don't speak, so you get to imagine what they're saying (or quote it verbatim in your head if you've memorized the movies as I have). And when you destroy something, it breaks apart into separate Lego pieces -- no blood, no gore; it's good, wholesome fun!
I've played them all. I relived my childhood while playing Lego Star Wars II because we all know that Episodes 4-6 are the only TRUE Star Wars stories worth watching, no matter how much George Lucas thinks the prequels sated our appetites for more adventures in a galaxy far, far away. And, yes, I did play Lego Star Wars and bought Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. I bought Lego Indiana Jones and thoroughly loved getting to recreate the first three movies. Even after Lego Indiana Jones II was released only so you could implausibly survive a nuclear blast in a refrigerator as seen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I bought and played the heck out of that game. Lego Batman gave me the chance to prance around as a superhero with my underwear on the outside and create a lot of havoc one can only wish to accomplish in real life. And Lego Pirates of the Caribbean -- let's just say that my habit of watching every rerun of the movies on cable made it easy to finish.
However, there's another Lego videogame genre that has a tighter hold. Youngest Son had all of the Lego sets that went with the first two movies in the franchise and when he outgrew them we sold them on eBay for a hefty sum (all went to one buyer). He and I each have our own copies of all of the books and he has the Lego Nintendo DS version while I've got PS3, PSP, and Windows -- just so I can see the differences in them all. I can play it for hours and not notice the time passing.
My name is Jackie, and I'm a Lego Harry Potter addict.
Years 1-4 weren't enough. I dashed-out and made sure to get Years 5-7 as well and have worked hard to get 100% completion without having to go online. I've collected every minifig and extra power and additional spells. Yes....because of me I know what's in J.K. Rowling's appointment diary at every available space -- "Count my money."
And it's a kids game! I should be playing Portal or something that makes you think, not just button-mashing. But, no, I sit and giggle every time I get Lego pieces to explode. People don't like to do the cooperative play with me because I'm determined to explore EVERY inch of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and every other place they create because I want to find all of the secret pieces. Youngest Son has gotten frustrated when we've played together and he can't move forward through a maze because I'm still poking around in every corner for Lego studs so I can attain True Wizard status.
If only I could bring Jar-Jar Binks over from Lego Star Wars and watch the Harry Potter spells and traps blow him up, I'd be rolling on the floor with laughter.
Sadly, however, I must now wait to see what new Lego videogame franchise will be introduced. I've finished all the ones I have and even though they have hours and hours of "freeplay" levels to complete, once those are done you just don't know what to do. The newer games have Lego Creator additions where you can build your own levels. But that requires the aforementioned thinking that I don't always want to do when I sit to play a game for pure entertainment.
I will add, though, that Youngest Son has enjoyed his newest games immensely and I've begun to wonder just how well I could challenge GLaDOS. Perhaps adding some extra thinking to my playtime will be good for me.
And don't get me started on the new motion-capture devices that have been added to new gaming systems to make you feel as if you're really "in" the game. True, some can be used as an exercise program for those, like me, who don't feel comfortable sweating it out in front of others, but I also enjoy having nice items hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves in my house. I moved away from an earthquake zone a few years ago and don't really want to feel that kind of shaking in my house again, especially when it's my fault.
No, the games I've become hooked on have a story. They have many characters. They're based on movies I've loved for years. And they're even cute when you blow-up part of the scenery or another character.
I've become enraptured with Legos.
I must explain that I've always loved Legos and those little blocks were lots of fun when I was a kid. I enjoyed them much more than my Lincoln Logs because I could never build anything other than the basic cabin shown on the canister. And don't get me started with Tinkertoys -- those things would splinter and crack as if they'd been shipped with their own termite infestation in every box. I could never build anything sturdy with them and if you got a rod stuck in one of the holes, you were doomed to have a wheel forever.
Legos when I was a kid was just a bunch of colored blocks and you had to use your imagination to decide what to build. Somewhere along the way, the creators decided to include instructions with certain kits and you could recreate objects and places from famous movies. I loved that my kids loved Legos -- it meant that I got to put them together for them which was always a thrill for me.
Years ago, Lego had tried to entice kids into becoming movie producers when they sold a special set that had a stop-motion camera and software kit. If you were lucky, you even got a minifigure that looked like Steven Spielberg. Suddenly, adults were creating stop-motion movies based on popular movies. Star Wars, Star Trek -- not much was off-limits. You can even find remakes of scenes from movies on YouTube done in Lego that are better than the originals.
But the geniuses behind Legos, video game corporations, and the movie industry got together and started a marketing frenzy. Not only could you build little sets and scenes from the movies you loved with actual bricks, you could now immerse yourself in a movie brought to life through animated bricks! Plus, the minifigures in the games don't speak, so you get to imagine what they're saying (or quote it verbatim in your head if you've memorized the movies as I have). And when you destroy something, it breaks apart into separate Lego pieces -- no blood, no gore; it's good, wholesome fun!
I've played them all. I relived my childhood while playing Lego Star Wars II because we all know that Episodes 4-6 are the only TRUE Star Wars stories worth watching, no matter how much George Lucas thinks the prequels sated our appetites for more adventures in a galaxy far, far away. And, yes, I did play Lego Star Wars and bought Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. I bought Lego Indiana Jones and thoroughly loved getting to recreate the first three movies. Even after Lego Indiana Jones II was released only so you could implausibly survive a nuclear blast in a refrigerator as seen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I bought and played the heck out of that game. Lego Batman gave me the chance to prance around as a superhero with my underwear on the outside and create a lot of havoc one can only wish to accomplish in real life. And Lego Pirates of the Caribbean -- let's just say that my habit of watching every rerun of the movies on cable made it easy to finish.
However, there's another Lego videogame genre that has a tighter hold. Youngest Son had all of the Lego sets that went with the first two movies in the franchise and when he outgrew them we sold them on eBay for a hefty sum (all went to one buyer). He and I each have our own copies of all of the books and he has the Lego Nintendo DS version while I've got PS3, PSP, and Windows -- just so I can see the differences in them all. I can play it for hours and not notice the time passing.
My name is Jackie, and I'm a Lego Harry Potter addict.
Years 1-4 weren't enough. I dashed-out and made sure to get Years 5-7 as well and have worked hard to get 100% completion without having to go online. I've collected every minifig and extra power and additional spells. Yes....because of me I know what's in J.K. Rowling's appointment diary at every available space -- "Count my money."
And it's a kids game! I should be playing Portal or something that makes you think, not just button-mashing. But, no, I sit and giggle every time I get Lego pieces to explode. People don't like to do the cooperative play with me because I'm determined to explore EVERY inch of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and every other place they create because I want to find all of the secret pieces. Youngest Son has gotten frustrated when we've played together and he can't move forward through a maze because I'm still poking around in every corner for Lego studs so I can attain True Wizard status.
If only I could bring Jar-Jar Binks over from Lego Star Wars and watch the Harry Potter spells and traps blow him up, I'd be rolling on the floor with laughter.
Sadly, however, I must now wait to see what new Lego videogame franchise will be introduced. I've finished all the ones I have and even though they have hours and hours of "freeplay" levels to complete, once those are done you just don't know what to do. The newer games have Lego Creator additions where you can build your own levels. But that requires the aforementioned thinking that I don't always want to do when I sit to play a game for pure entertainment.
I will add, though, that Youngest Son has enjoyed his newest games immensely and I've begun to wonder just how well I could challenge GLaDOS. Perhaps adding some extra thinking to my playtime will be good for me.
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