Motion Control

Ooh, fun topic today. But first, I'm pretty sure no one reads this, which is why I'm so open on my opinions, but just in case, I've been gone so long because I just started college, and I have almost no free time anymore. Yeah, you probably know what that feels like, presuming you are an adult, but if you're still in High School or younger, then multiply your workload by, let's say five. Yeah, and then try to put in the time you sleep, hang out with friends, and not to mention all the chores you'll have to do yourself because your roommate just sleeps and plays on the computer all day.

Well, anyway, Motion Controls in the consoles. So we're looking at a three way war between Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony and their motion control devices. The Wii has had this since it launched, and by far sold the best, at least I believe that to be so since I couldn't find one for months before snagging one online. By now Nintendo has learned how to do some good motion control games, experience is key to these things and they have it. Plus, you know Mario and Zelda, the two reasons I bought the Wii instead of the PS3 in 2007.

It's actually been war since 2006, but it's become more personal as the two losing combatants upgraded their weapons to mimic the more victorious console. The Xbox 360's Kinect and the PS3's Move. Awful names, but that's not important. What is important is that the two companies who were losing are taking heat for these new innovations to their systems. Why would they, though? Wouldn't trying to imitate the best selling console mean they would be producing a better experience for gamers?

That question is a little condenscending I'll admit, but in case you don't know, hardcore gamers are taking offense to the two hardcore companies that let them play hardcore games, like Halo, CoD, GoW, etc, now trying to invite casual gamers to play along with them. Essentially, it feels like they've just released the Microsoft Wii and the Sony Wii. And to be fair, Sony, it looks like the Wii. At least Kinect had the decency not to copy the controller. The gimicks for these devices are: for the Playstation Move, it allows you to play the Wii on the PS3. There's probably more to it than that, but that's about all I know about it. Kinect, however, allows your body to be the controller and what you do is done in the game, and I think they've had this on the PS2 actually, but not as fun as it will be apparently.

There are some problems with these devices though, namely that anyone who wanted to play casual games the companies are marketing had four years to pick up a Wii, and probably did so. Second, Kinect has the added disadvantage of being on the most hardcore console dominated by Cod and Halo sales, not the fluffy cute oh-the-whole-family-can-play-soccer-without-leaving-the-house game powerhouse. Let's just think for a second, would a family who wanted to do physical activity like that want to pay several hundred dollars for the console, Kinect, and games, or just go out and do things outside together and get the same result for cheaper? Even if they wanted some family games, the Wii is much cheaper, and have a long list of games for it that are probably going to be better than what Kinect or Move can offer, at least at the start.

Now, you've probably heard this before, and either agreed or dismissed it, because you're human (hopefully), but what I would like is for Kinect and Move to bring about games that are fun. Not fun for the family, not fun for the hardcores, but just fun. I mean, with both these devices, there are things we can play that couldn't be played before. Tell me, does a game where you have to walk on the moon and try to get used to the physics while dodging asteroids and space aliens shooting lazers sound like a fun Kinect game? Maybe, maybe not, but wouldn't it be an interesting alternative to Call of Honor Medal of Wars 43? How about playing a ninja throwing shurikens and handling an assortment of gadgets with different movement controls while battling hoards of zombie pirates? Playing as a MONKEY on Kinect, wouldn't that be something to see? Or shall we just try to bury these devices before they can show us what they can really do?

Tolerance

I hate quite a lot of people, as I've said on this blog before. That is because people are annoying, they grate on my nerves and cause me to lose sanity. But that is only based on personality, a person-by-person basis. There is no one group of people I hate for having a trait beyond their own control, whether that be skin color, sexual orientation, gender, or nationality.

No wait, I lied, there is one group like that, intolerant asses. If you are a racist, sexist, or discriminate based on superficial, I hate you. You're sending us backward in time, not forward. I can think of plenty of reasons to hate someone, but for something beyond their control is not a reason. At the moment, I get really angered when people discriminate against homosexual people. Or Bisexual people for that matter. No, I'm not gay, or bi, I'm straight. As an arrow. But that doesn't mean I have to speak out against them, or dislike them.

As far as I know, being gay or bi doesn't mean that they're possessed and mean to eat out my heart should I turn my back on someone. All it means is they prefer something I don't sexually, and since I prefer not to talk about that in the first place, it doesn't bother me all that much. I am sure that it doesn't mean they are evil, and I think it's safe not to point a gun in their faces because of it.

Just stupid things like that can ruin lives. Can anyone think of a good reason why the Holocaust should have happened? No? Because the Jewish people were scapegoats, and because of their religion, they were subjected to that inhumanity. Now, I hope most people this day and age wouldn't go to such extremes like that, but I know not everyone would. There's one person at least who would have everyone of a certain nationality, color, sexuality, treated like that because of that one specific trait.

That is fucking unacceptable. We need tolerance, we need to accept the differences in people and still see them as equals. We've made progress, but we're nowhere near finished. I'd like to see the day where people of all different sorts could sit around and be friends, discuss issues, and be civil toward each other.

I'm pretty sure I could write more about this, but my point is this: accept others for who they are, then decide if thing they have control over bug you. I don't like loud people, or arrogant people, but that can be anyone.

-Subtle

Geek Culture

On this blog my hopes are that the few people who may stumble upon it will be rich and pay me to write nonsense for them. That's not likely to happen but a man can dream. My other reason is that I hope I can make people think about issues rationally and present viewpoints that I think make sense. You don't have to agree with anything I say, but there needs to be logic and rationality behind an argument, not just passion and anger.

Emotions have their place, but not in a debate about delicate subjects. Sometimes logic and rationale are not going to have a place in a debate, especially one over ethics and morals, which can differ greatly between cultures and even within a culture. After all, people who follow Hinduism don't eat cows, Americans raise cows to be eaten. Americans (for the most part) don't eat dogs, yet some cultures within the Asian continent do. No one can win a debate about whether any one of those stances is right or wrong.

I'm getting too far from my point though, which is that in a debate one should strive to put logic and reason into their argument, thus strengthening their stance, and allowing the other side to evaluate their own stance. Debate is virtually meaningless though. A discussion can lead to solutions or action, whether they be good or bad, but a debate, in my mind, concerns an issue with varying stances on what is acceptable with enough people involved on each side to where none will give in, an exercise in futility. It has its place, but it's not for deciding anything.

I'm off track again, seeing as how the title of this post is Geek Culture. What I mean to say next will offend some, but I will explain my reasonsing to the best of my ability. Geeks are not rational when it comes to what they like, which can be films, anime, video games, pets, political issues, and whatnot. Now, this is not to say everyone else is exempt from it, but (American)football fans, for example, tend to get obssessive about real teams and real people. That can impact real life, and whether a player gets moved to a different team can have drastic effects on the season (and that may have just shown I know little about football). Geeks, on the other hand, get obssessive about whether or not the guy with ridiculous hair in a particular anime will end up with the perky and always smiling girl next door, or the action girl who wears leather and smirks when she isn't scowling. (By the way, if that sounds like any particular anime you know of, I swear that just came off the top of my head.)

They aren't real, and while there may be similarities between obsessions like that, real life will count more. Ok, to be fair, I do care more about relationships between animated people than I do about most real life celebrities, but then I don't go and make hate fics toward a character, killing them off or pushing them aside so I can write a story about the couple I like. I don't spend time patrolling forums and being an annoying prick to people who disagree with me, and worse, bully them for it. Because the internet provides anonymity, people can be just a big a dick as they want to, which means being the biggest dick in the world over whether or not the Star Wars prequels count as canon because they happen to be somewhat worse than the original trilogy. I'll have you know the first Star Wars movie I saw was Episode Three, and I liked it, enough to watch the other five movies

Nostalgia is a real villain when it comes to this crap. The internet proclaims that the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII were the single two greatest games of all time. I've played both of them somewhat, and not only do I think Twilight Princess is a superior Zelda game (heck, I like Windwaker more), but FFVII actually made me realize that I don't like Final Fantasy at all. And that's not to say I don't like any JRPG, because I've played some that I enjoyed quite a lot. But it's nostalgia that makes people blind to the truth that these things aren't new anymore, there have been improvements and some people will have differing opinions.

I can sum up my message to my fellow geeks in this sentence: Get over yourselves. You are not always right, your opinion matters no more than mine, just because you agree with a majority does not mean that you all are correct, nor does it mean the minority is. Stifiling opinions is facist and does not let the world grow, so if you claim someone is an idiot with no taste because he happens to like Super Mario Sunshine more than 64, or at all, you are being detrimental to society. So if you do engage in that kind of activity, don't be confused as to why the rest of humanity is so messed up.

Also, to online gamers, please stop being such bastards. Just because you spend a lot of time learning how to play a game to the equivalent of being a master of martial arts does not mean you should be a complete jack ass when a new player wants to try his hand playing online. But more on that sooner or later, with my message of accepting others, because boy do some people need that slapped into their brains.

-Subtle

Video Games As Art

Well this issue is already becoming old, but I thought I'd throw in my opinion out there on the internet. So, Mr. Roger Ebert, extraordinary film critic, claims that games will not be 'art', or at least not in our lifetime. To which I have to say, "So what?"

Ok, I'm a gamer, and have been playing since I was old enough to hold the controller and press the necesarry button on the NES. I love video games and think they are a great experience. Let me repeat: Experience. Does art include experience? If not, then the video game is not an art form. Let's face it, there are aspects of a game that can be considered art: the story, the levels, or the music can all be art, but the thing we play it for is the game, the parts where we decide what happens. And I'm not convinced falling into the lava pit ten times in a row is art.

Now, this is not to say that art cannot include movement, because we have dance and theater, both respected art forms that include real people doing things. The main crux is the actions they perform. So why not video games? Because, if I don't find the movement of my character pleasing, the blast from a gun outstanding, or the clashing of swords jaw-dropping, it's not art. Ok, good art at least. And that's the only art anyone cares about anyway.

I may not have explained myself as clearly as I need to, but I want to ask you now, why should we care whether a video game is art anyway? As far as I'm aware, the video game is a game, and the thing that matters most is that it's fun to play. The artistic potential of a game is second to this, so why is it now such a big deal? I'm honestly asking this. Is it because we feel gameplay is as good as it will ever get? Because if so, that's awfully depressing. I was expecting to be able to run up a wall and slash a guy's head off all under my own power and not in a cutscene or quicktime event.

Or are we so concerned because this presents another way for non-gamers to put our video games down? "Oh, now it's corrupting our children and it's not even art like Edgar Allen Poe, and he gave us nightmares. Let's destroy the video games now and laugh as all the gamers cry." Yeah, I'm pretty sure that games not being considered art won't kill the whole medium. It's depressing to be attacked from so many angles, but look at it this way: games have never been so prevalent within our culture, so many people have a console or handheld (or even iPhone apps) that if video games were banned there would probably be some huge backlash from all corners. Even the people who only have a 360 to play Madden would probably be pissed.

Just calm down and think about whether or not games as an art form is really all that important. And Mr. Ebert, while I respect your opinion, without a basis from actually experiencing a videogame by playing it, it's not very informed. Because video games are an experience, and whether you can count that as an art form or not, you won't know until you play something. And there are quite a lot of films that I wouldn't consider good art, though they are pretty entertaining.

So, please people, calm down and discuss this, or any issue, rationally. Whoever shouts the loudest won't win an argument, they just look the most foolish. Put some thought into your opinions, and don't lose your credibility by panicking and getting angry. Animals fight each other, but humans can debate, which will you act like?

-Subtle

Memorial Day

This entry in the Falsification is not going to be a typical entry. Instead, I'm going to talk about this important day in the U.S., which many people seem to take as a holiday. Well people, today is not a holiday, not in the usual sense of the word. Today is a day that we're asked to remember and honor all of the American soldiers who have died trying to protect and serve our country.

Now people, I don't care what your feelings to the government are, mine aren't so friendly at the moment, but this is not about the government. This day is for the hard working men and women who have given their lives for our safety, so we can be free to pursue what we want to pursue. The least you can do is stop during the day while you're rushing around to all the sales and remember that people have died for you and everyone you care about. Please, show some respect to them.

And at this time I would like to thank all the men and women serving our country now, and honor all the fallen heroes and heroines. I would like to say now that there are many people in the U.S. who forget to thank you for your service, but I believe that deep down most of us feel gratitude toward you. Please never believe that your service has been neglected by the people you protect, and again, thank you for serving in the United States military.

-Subtle

The Beginning

Greetings, I am Subtle.

This area of the internet I'm taking up with these words is a place for me to express my views on whatever I want and let me release steam. Some of you who read this might find yourselves agreeing with me, perhaps even enjoying my rants and musings. Others, and I can sympathize with you, will not, and as such will leave this place forever and likely never remember it again.

Of course I have no delusions about this, even if anyone does end up reading my words not much will come of it, but I'd like to think that there are some people who actually care about my opinions, whether because I'm voicing their own or it's something to do between the nine-to-five or the drunk to hungover or the high to the low.

So without further wasting your valuable time (yeah right), I am done. If this is the only post, remember me, if not, and you haven't read the others yet, get to it.