Id like to raise the issue about the intensity of Video Games in the year 2005.
Is it right that although I shelled out 50 between the two, I cant face playing either MGS3 (metal gear solid 3, a game Ive waited 4 years for) and Half-Life 2 because both are intense games. I have to admit that at no point of either have I struggled and very rarely on both have I accidentally/intentionally died. But much in the same way as Bastian reading about the unfolding adventures of Atreyu in never ending story, should I actually be playing video games with baited breath.
I know that as books and video games go, the number one priority is to involve the user to the point where the user relates to the plight/struggle of the character. This much is undeniable, but what Im getting at is in this age of realistic texture mapping and character development is it any particular wonder that either single-handedly surviving an onslaught from a post-apocalyptic alien and police threat, and taking on a regiment of Russian soldiers and some amazingly talented commanding officers in the infancy of the gulf war to tactically destroy a nuclear tank.
I appreciate that to some degree this is all wish fulfilment. I mean who (whos male) hasnt considered what Itd be like if in a strange Alien/s or Starship Troopers (or Rambo) esq. environment and if they could rise to the change and be ether Johnny Rico or Ripley (respectively) of that day. But to constantly survive an onslaught from a variety of crack troops armed with both land and air support plus an arsenal of impressive weaponry is no mean feet especially when combined with this raging alien battles and otherwise non quite human foes is not easy.
So is it any wonder that after extended game play I frequently find myself constantly surveying scenarios looking for unnatural shadow shapes and for want of a better word, paranoid of the impending doom thats seemingly been waiting for me behind each and every damn corner of the game.
What Im getting at is the other end of this spectrum, Im actually dreading putting the games back on because despite the completely different approaches to combat. I really cant face either. To be quite frank if I ended up in a post-apocalyptical alien invasion tomorrow with armed police out to get me I think Id be running and hiding. I wouldnt be looking for my DPM (camouflage to the undereducated) body suit and indulging in a spot of tactical espionage behind enemy lines. Nor would I be running around guns blazing against a seemingly endless threat of giant bugs and zombies.
So once again I ask, is it any wonder that after a day of notoriously close scrapes, low ammunitions, insurmountable odds, spooky soundtracks and difficult control systems, that I need to unwind from a day of gaming with a joint and a comedy movie?
Is it right that although I shelled out 50 between the two, I cant face playing either MGS3 (metal gear solid 3, a game Ive waited 4 years for) and Half-Life 2 because both are intense games. I have to admit that at no point of either have I struggled and very rarely on both have I accidentally/intentionally died. But much in the same way as Bastian reading about the unfolding adventures of Atreyu in never ending story, should I actually be playing video games with baited breath.
I know that as books and video games go, the number one priority is to involve the user to the point where the user relates to the plight/struggle of the character. This much is undeniable, but what Im getting at is in this age of realistic texture mapping and character development is it any particular wonder that either single-handedly surviving an onslaught from a post-apocalyptic alien and police threat, and taking on a regiment of Russian soldiers and some amazingly talented commanding officers in the infancy of the gulf war to tactically destroy a nuclear tank.
I appreciate that to some degree this is all wish fulfilment. I mean who (whos male) hasnt considered what Itd be like if in a strange Alien/s or Starship Troopers (or Rambo) esq. environment and if they could rise to the change and be ether Johnny Rico or Ripley (respectively) of that day. But to constantly survive an onslaught from a variety of crack troops armed with both land and air support plus an arsenal of impressive weaponry is no mean feet especially when combined with this raging alien battles and otherwise non quite human foes is not easy.
So is it any wonder that after extended game play I frequently find myself constantly surveying scenarios looking for unnatural shadow shapes and for want of a better word, paranoid of the impending doom thats seemingly been waiting for me behind each and every damn corner of the game.
What Im getting at is the other end of this spectrum, Im actually dreading putting the games back on because despite the completely different approaches to combat. I really cant face either. To be quite frank if I ended up in a post-apocalyptical alien invasion tomorrow with armed police out to get me I think Id be running and hiding. I wouldnt be looking for my DPM (camouflage to the undereducated) body suit and indulging in a spot of tactical espionage behind enemy lines. Nor would I be running around guns blazing against a seemingly endless threat of giant bugs and zombies.
So once again I ask, is it any wonder that after a day of notoriously close scrapes, low ammunitions, insurmountable odds, spooky soundtracks and difficult control systems, that I need to unwind from a day of gaming with a joint and a comedy movie?
october:
the friends request...