Yeah, I work at a game shop, one you probably shop at, starts with E, Ends in Games, has a B in the middle. You know the one. Yeah. I guess I'll vent here, or talk about games, or something...

• 15Jul 06

  System Wars

  Okay, so I've been reading the System Wars forums.  A lot.  Probably too much actually.  I read them solely for entertainment purposes.  Nothing like a bunch of 1337 fanboyz telling us how thier system choice pnz all the others.  (i hate people who type in teh 1337 speak).
  
  But here's my thoughts on the current/upcoming war, and the participants.
  
  XBox 360:  I think it's a great system.  Very good for anyone who wants to play multiplayer, since XBox live pretty much rocks.  There've been a few games that I'd like to have, CoD2, Over G Fighters, Oblivion, Fight Night Round 3, Chromehounds, a few others,  that is, if I had a 360.  I just can't justify the price right now.  I'd have to have the $399 bundle, since I'd be online, I'd want to download every piece of content for every game, plus the movie trailers and XBox Live Arcade games. 
  
  PS3:  They've forgotten who thier fans are.  I can understand that the tech is great, and I know they're losing a lot on each system, but was the world ready for it?  And if I had to guess, the inclusion of blu-ray wasn't all about higher capacity disks.  Sony is one of the companies that created Blu-Ray.  It's in their best interest to get as many Blu-Ray players out in homes as possible so that their investment in the tech can have some kind of justification.  The more players that are in homes, the more Blu-Ray DVD's will be sold, and I'm sure Sony will get something out of the DVD sales as well, licensing fees or whatever.  But for the casual gamer, $600 is a lot to ask for something that is FIRST a gaming system, and second, a multimedia device.  But hey, with the advent of the HD-DVD add-on for the 360, maybe there's something to it.  I just know that I won't be buying one til it drops to somewhere around the $300 range.
  
  Wii:  I'm not a Nintendo fanboy.  I haven't owned every Nintendo system (didn't even buy one til the SNES).  But I think that Nintendo is taking their next console in the right direction.  Most people in the world don't own HDTV's so not supporting it isn't a bad idea.  Better graphics don't = better gameplay, no matter what fanboys of other consoles think.  Making games more immersive and more accessible to the masses is the key to winning now.  I look forward to getting a Wii at launch.  I will buy the other two systems, but not til they reach a price point I can justify.
  
  Just my two cents.
  
  
  • Posted Jul 15, 2006 1:59 pm PT
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• 13Mar 06

  Content

  I love games.  I love all kinds of games.  I prefer RTS, and FPS games.  I like my FPS to be rather violent, blood soaked affairs.  I love shooting and blowing things to hell.  I don't mind foul language in my games.  I don't mind sex in my games.  I don't mind alcohol and drug use in my games.  But then again, I'm 34. 

  So when you read the blog entry below, keep in mind that I'm a gamer, I have been a gamer since I was about 8.  I don't want anyone censoring the games you (if you're 17 or older) and I play.  But the games I play aren't the games I'd let a 12 year old son play.

  • Posted Mar 13, 2006 8:46 pm PT
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• 13Mar 06

  Legislation

  I was just browsing an article here and it got me to thinking about all the anti-gaming legislation out there, and I have to say, I'm for any legislation limiting the sale of M rated games to minors. 

  As you may or may not know, I work for an EB Games turned Gamestop.  I have to deal with kids on a daily basis who want to buy M rated games, with no parents there to give them permission.  What do they really think, that I or one of the other employees is stupid enough to sell it to them?  But that's not the worst part in my opinion.

  The worst part is when the PARENTS come in with their 10 or 11 year old boy and BUY Bulletproof, or True Crimes for them.  These games are rated M for good reason.  Language.  Drug and Alcohol Use.  Violence.  Blood and Gore.  Do I want to live in a world where parents are allowing their small children to play these games?  What will they grow up to be like? 

  I make sure and let the parents know that the titles they buy are rated M, and show them the back of the game to see the reasons for the rating.  Sometimes, the parents (who were totally clueless before) will tell the kid that no, they may NOT have that game.  But sometimes I get 'Well, he plays them all the time' or some variation of that.  Those are the kids who will scare me in about 10 years.  The ones whose parents obviously don't give a d**n about what their children are exposed to.  These parents aren't parenting their kids.  So if they can't do the job, when it comes to games, then I'm all for the government stepping in. 

  And as for the unconstitutionality of the laws that have been overturned.  Is it unconstitutional to keep minors from buying M rated games?  If so, is it not also unconstitutional to allow a minor into an R rated movie?  X-rated?  I must admit that I haven't read the text of the laws that the governments of these states have tried to pass.  And I will also admit that I would be totally AGAINST any law that restricted sales of anything to adults.  But as long as the law only limited the sale to people under 17, I'm for it, and can't see how that would be unconstitutional.

  But even if no laws are written in my state, I will still do what I do.  You're under 17 and want to buy an M rated game?  NO GAME FOR YOU!  Unless your parent is there to buy it for you, that is.  Why do I do this?  Because its fun being a Game N*zi!  NO GAME FOR YOU!

  • Posted Mar 13, 2006 8:22 pm PT
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