Your Scourge, The Casual Gamer.

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What's that gaming companies? You want me to pay fifteen dollars for each DLC you put out after I paid sixty for the initial game? Please playa I've got bills to pay. Oh and EA/Bioware you want to make SWTOR free but make features super restrictive? Well I don't like you either so eat my shorts. Why am I not level 50 prestige on Black Ops 2? It's probably because I suck at first person shooters. Oh, you're mad that my rotation isn't cranking out the best DPS in this boss fight even though I'm always last to die in a wipe? Well I do have other things to do like spend time with my family so find another Death Knight.

     ^Bitter much? Nah, it's actually the fact that I have zero fudges to give about being a hardcore gamer. It is sublime being in the realm of casual gamer because I can actually do other stuff I deem more important first and then go play a video game if I feel like. Don't get me wrong, I love gaming, it's just not very high on my to-do list. I'm also very, very, picky about the games I do play and often times I pick the games I know I can play or have mechanics I am comfortable with. Why spend too much time trying to learn new mechanics while getting frustrated and dying 7 million times? An argument is that once a person gets the hang of it they can go back and replay. You can take that argument and throw it out the window because it's my sixty bucks and I want to enjoy it right away.

     Plus it's funny to watch leet gamers, and when I say funny I mean fricking hilarious, because often times they're prone to bursts of fury at other gamers, if it's online, or particularly hard levels i.e. "Oh yeah! Cuz that just happened!" It did sir, it did just happen and your anger is comical. Then there are those points in time where, if you are an online gamer, you have a bi-polar guild leader who will yell at everyone for not doing their jobs even though it's probably the leaders own fault, but hey they're the guild leader so why not? I'll tell you why not because casual gamers like myself are perfectly fine going off and farming for crafting, or getting achievements, or pvping. You think we want to spend 2-4 hours going through the Ice Crown Citadel? Nope, but we do it anyways because other members in the guild want the Kingslayer title and they are nice enough to ask(I haven't played since LK).  Anyways I couldn't tell you how much time I spent laughing while the raid leader was freaking out, I always made sure my mic was off though. Another thing I find funny is the looks that I get from some hardcore gamers when I tell them I'm not going get a certain game, or tell them I didn't like a certain game. They range of emotions shown on their faces go from confusion, disgust then to acceptance.
Dude: "Have you played Mass Effect 3 yet?"
Me: "Nope."
Dude: "Are you going to play it?"
Me: "Maybe, but probably not."
Dude: "You're missing a great game, like one of the best in a long time." shakes head.
Me: "That's nice, can I have Tomb Raider now please?"
 
      I'll admit most of these interactions happen at gamestop or wherever I buy a game. Sometimes with an employee or sometimes with another customer. I also admit that I too can get angry with a game, but when I find myself about to reach the limit I just set the controller down and come back later. I couldn't imagine getting so riled up that I throw my controller and bust it to smithereens. Here's the thing, if you find that you have steam coming out of your ears and you are about to smash your third controller please take a deep breath, shut the system off, walk away, find a phone book, look up anger management therapy and promptly make an appointment because your butt has issues. I guess the best way to avoid issues like that is the difficulty mode. I can't speak for all casual gamers, but I always pick the easiest mode there is. Sure it partly has to do with the fact that I suck at playing video games, but at least I can have the best chance to enjoy the game while still playing poorly. Yay me.

     Lastly, the best part of being a casual gamer is sticking it to the man and not getting sucked into DLC. I don't think I have ever heard anything possitive come out of DLC except for Skyrim, good for Bethesda, so why do people keep spending 15 bucks for more game to play? Maybe the studio wanted to include the content in the original package, maybe they have to cover costs, but probably not. They most likely just want our money. Screw that, I'd rather pay the original 60 dollars for the base game than pay an addtional 15 each for 3-4 DLCs that always turn out medocre.

     So if you are a person that brags about your prestige level in your bro-shooter game or you brag about you how many games you have and you beat them all on the most difficult mode, or you're a hardcore raider that spends 3 hours a night raiding to get the best gear, here's what I have to say to you.

But please keep your cell phone turned up. I may need to call you so you can beat a hard part for me.
Cheers.

    
 

Justify My Love

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     As a Christian we are suppose to be in the world, but not of it, and for me that is one of the hardest things that I struggle with daily. There are things in my everyday life that do not glorify God, or even come close to it. Some people wouldn't think of it, but it is somewhat difficult to be a nerd and a Christian at the same time. A lot of things in the nerd world conflict with the Christian worldview and could even be considered blasphemous.


http://captain-brushpen.deviantart.com/art/Early-experiments

     How do I tell other Christians that one of my favorite video games is one where you are trying to survive on an island while mercilessly killing off enemies who are part of a crazy cult? Did I mention that said cult practices human sacrifice? How do I tell other Christians that my favorite series of books is about private detective who is also a wizard that had a remnant of a demon riding along in his head for a a while? Should I mention that having that demon in his head made him capable of using magic that had a touch of brimstone to it? Or should I mention that his brother is a vampire who has incubus like powers and feeds off of women's "bedroom vibes"?



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And how in the world do I justify to other Christians that my favorite weekly television show is about two brothers that go around the country hunting supernatural predators including; Demons, vampires, changelings, ghosts, sometimes angels. Speaking of the angels in this show most of them are d-bags except for one. God is constantly absent and has left a mess basically. Not to mention if the brothers need to summon help or bind a supernatural foe they use occult spells that involve their blood and things that some might think unsavory. It's probably the most blasphemous show on network television in religious terms.

      I've mentioned before in at least two other blog entries that I grew up going to church all of my life and that in the 1980s there was a particular movement by churches to warn us about worldly influences. Church leaders criticized the music industry and Hollywood. Then of course there was the explosion of AIDS and church leaders were quick to say that these diagnoses were the result of living a worldly lifestyle. In part they may have been right back then, but the delivery of such a message was awful. What does that have to do with this blog entry? Well, I think people who started out in that era and have the same interests that I do might have a great sense of conflict within them as a result of past dogmas they've experienced.

     I've come to an age now where I really want to explore my faith and grow in it. Doing so questions have arisen like "Are these interests helping me or hindering me?" and "Are people going to consider me a hypocrite for talking about God to them and finding out I like Harry Potter?" I admit that while searching for Bible verses to help me with this dilemma I didn't find what I hoped for initially. What I did find farther down the list was verses about loving your neighbor and treating them with kindness and showing Christ's love for them. I want to be a beacon for others to lead them to God, but I have to remember that too much piety is a downfall. Nobody likes someone with a "holier than thou" attitude, it is often a turn off. I also remembered that I in fact am a human being who is not perfect. So of course I want to be a beacon, but I also want to relate to others so that they can relate to me in a sense where I could possibly draw them in and share my faith with them.

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     I also feel a strong sense of duty to fight against the stereotypes of Christians have been given(through no fault of our own sometimes) so that we can have a better chance to witness to others. I remember at the beginning of the new millennium everyone was nuts for Harry Potter and they were excited for the first film to come out. There were Christians that came out of the woodwork right away and condemned the film because of the subject of magic/witchcraft and I admit I was one of them. I was all Evil This and Evil That, but then one of my friends who also happened to be a Christian said that I should actually read the book or see the movie to at least give it a chance. I pretty much immediately fell in love with it. I was an idiot to judge it especially after reading the whole series and realizing that the magic is secondary to the actual story. That's when I realized using that kind of judgement while practicing Christianity can be a poison and can hurt your work with God. Oswald Chambers author of "My Utmost for His Highest" says that every way we serve God hurts him. Ouch! When I read that it shocked me. So you can imagine how much it hurts God by judging others when it is not our place.

     By then it was to late for me anyways. I was already a fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind, The Lord of the Rings(of course), The Chronicles of Narnia, and a huge fan of Indiana Jones. They had cemented my interests in the nerd world and they had all given me stories and characters to love. So, I don't have to justify the fact that my favorite literary hero is a wizard P.I. with an unshakable moral center. I don't have to justify to others that my favorite weekly show is about how strong the bonds of family are between two brothers. Other's don't have to justify to me loving a masterfully written story about a boy wizard who does all he can to stop the forces of evil and to do the right thing, not just the proper thing. God gave us brains did he not? So why not use your imagination which is a result of having a brain. Another thing, I am an adult, I know how to separate reality from fantasy. In the eighties and nineties some preachers were worried about the effects some shows and books would have on our children, but if one is a parent it is that person's responsibility to teach the difference from what is fact and what is fiction.

    If you are a Christian and are feeling conflicted than maybe there is a deeper issue. Maybe the Holy Spirit is knocking at your door and asking where you have been. Are you seeking the Kingdom of God first? After all the Bible says that you cannot serve two masters. After you put God first, and fully commit to keep him first, than hopefully all of those tensions will ease. You'll remember there is only one Judge instead of worrying about what others might think. You'll remember that He has loved you with an everlasting love. You'll remember that God made you an individual. He gave you a soul, He gave you a brain and He gave you an imagination so don't be afraid to accept it. Live long and prosper!