I See No Point in 3D Technology

Never did. Don't think I ever will.

But that seems to be the wave of the future, not just in movies. But also with video games.

This article from G4 I came across (thanks to twitter), discussed how 3D is the wave of the future, it's spread to video games, and how Avatar seems to be the forerunner.

"3D is the new thing, if you're to believe the gospel of movie director James Cameron. His latest action epic, Avatar, was filmed under the premise 3D is going to revolutionize all forms of entertainment. Games are included under that umbrella. Avatar: The Game will be the first console game to support stereoscopic 3D, but it's not the only 3D game available, especially if you're talking about the PC."

I don't know, I really never saw a point.

When I was a kid, whenever my family would go: "Let's go on 3D rides! It'll be a fun adventure!" I'd go "Okay.. I'd rather go on an actual ride," (for the most part). I just don't get the thrill and excitement of a hand reaching out at me and my seat spraying water on me to give me the illusion that I'm getting splashed by water. Unnecessary..

But this seems to be the wave of the future. Movies are being released in 3D format (which I have no desire to see), and now video games are being released in 3D? Is it even going to be successful? The article continues:

"Just as 20th Century Fox is banking on Avatar opening big at the box office, Ubisoft is hoping that translates into a video game blockbuster. Ubisoft has pushed the 3D angle for Avatar: The Game since E3, giving the press its first glance at Avatar: The Game in front of a massive 3D television. The 3D was certainly impressive, but once you realized most will never experience the game that way, it's somewhat diminished. At least with the movie, most consumers can head to the movie theater."

I feel that people aren't going to want to make the transition of 2D playing games to having to get a more expensive TV or PC that's compatible with the 3D technology, it's just not necessary to have that with gaming to me.

But who knows. Maybe I'll be proven wrong in a few years.

I did hate DVDs when I was a kid. I was very content with my VHS tapes and felt that DVDs were unnecessary. Oh, how wrong I was.

Cow & Chicken

I used to LOVE this show. And while browsing YouTube I just happened to find this clip:

So funny.

I wanna find out what episode this was from and the context of this clip, but it's still great on it's own.

I wonder if this is gonna be the future of virtual reality, where kicking something and getting hurt or getting crushed by a steamroller in the game, would actually happen to the player. Who knows, it's possible...

But I'd much rather play a game where I'm a sword-swinging elf in Hyrule as opposed to kicking a can..

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I just finished reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and that quickly has become one of my favorite books.

Yes, it's a children's book.

Yes, I'm nineteen years old.

Don't judge.

I used to.

Working at Barnes and Noble, I have been surrounded by the books ever since I started working there. I never really picked up the books, but thought it was good that it got a lot of kids to read, even if it is a "novel in cartoons". But then my coworkers read the books, people who were my age or even older, and exposed me to the material in book three, probably one of the funniest moments in this book:

And one day recently, I was bored and decided to pick up the series. I fell in love with it.

The story basically follows Greg and his (mis)adventures in middle school. It's like.. I don't even know where to begin describing the book. I think the first page speaks for itself:

So the book has become a major success, which makes me happy because it's a great and entertaining story told in a different and fun style. And after seeing this video and how the author, Jeff Kinney, really looks out for his fans, it gave me a greater respect for him.

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What I love about the character of Greg is that he's NOT a hero. He's a kid who goes through everyday problems at home and school and even though he's a wimp, he has a very high regard for himself and his potential.

But in addition, he just represents a normal kid, who doesn't want to go to military school, be on the swim team, do homework, do chores; but instead make money the easiest way possible and just sit at home and play video games.

There's several references throughout the series of Greg just wanting to play video games, all the time, but I don't have the books (yet--I actually plan on buying these instead of just reading them when at work) and this is the only reference I could find online.

Overall, I recommend this book for all ages: kids and adults can easily relate to it and it leaves a lasting impression on one wimpy kid who represents a vast majority of kids these days.

Product Placement in Video Games

I'm currently at my friend's house, where it's me + eight guys, six of which are playing with Magic Cards and two of which are playing Grand Theft Auto. I'm playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (of course.) & occasionally looking up at the game as they're using a sniper rifle to blow people's heads off, throwing newspaper stands at people, and just committing other random and fun acts of violence. But the thing that was most intriguing to me is the radio option: as they were driving a helicopter around, they were playing the radio within the helicopter and "Hate" by Plain White T's came on, followed by "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold and it made me remember that the Grand Theft Auto franchise made judicious use of music in the game: through the radios. Perfect Product Placement.

From an article on "Video Games Online":

"As one pertinent example, take the Grand Theft Auto series, which has grown in size and stature as it has also grown in popularity, and has developed an increasing faithfulness to the form of consumerism as its fan base has grown. One continuing motif from the series, the use of in-game radio stations, has morphed from simple musical repetitions to full blown mimicry, with parodied adverts, talk-shows, and discussions. Moving from the first GTA, which contained original compositions, to GTA4, which contains three talk-radio stations, and makes use of a proportionally high number of licensed tracks by real-life bands, the GTA series is a perfect example of the increasing movement of computer games towards the 'real'. From there, it seems, it is to move into the world of consumerism."

Of course, this isn't the only method of product placement in video games: other examples include: placing real advertisements on billboards and whatnot (which is usually done through the company Massive), and placing stores that feature the products for the characters to buy. A pro of putting advertisements in video games is that they're more subtle; they're within the game and also give the effect of the video game reflecting reality with "real" products. Furthermore, advertisements are able to be changed and updated, such as putting the latest movie poster and replacing it with a movie that was released three weeks ago; and even applying specific advertisements within the games that appeals to the demographic of players (for example, a game that mainly appeals to males 18-24 may put in an in-game advertisement for Axe, whereas a game that mainly to females 13-18 may put in an advertisement for acne cream). I personally think that this form of in-game advertising and product placement is MUCH more effective than rehearsed and usually corny commercials, and this does give the effect of a game seeming more like reality when I'm playing.

VS.

I guess a con is that people feel that this kind of advertisement is more subliminal, or even that people may feel that this kind of advertising is going "too far" and should not be incorporated into video games... but product placement happens in movies and TV shows ALL the time. I love when I see specific computer brands or what kind of cars the character drives or where they go to eat.. I feel that fictional characters making a connection with products that surround us everyday help break down the wall of the movie being fictional and help me feel more connected to the movie... but that's just me.

From the same article on Video Games Online:

""The Internet Advertising Bureau glowingly reported that “product placement in-game allows for complete integration of consumer products into the scenery of the game” and “plot integration...when the products play an active role in the context of the game, allowing the audience to experience specific product attributes e.g. drinking a can of Red Bull to give the character energy.” So it seems that, like film before it, the computer gaming industry is moving further into the real world of marketing, with the next generation of entertainment hoping to make a very firm use of product placement and brand enhancement."

But as you know (or maybe don't.. well now you'll learn something new about me), all of my favorite adventure games are fantasy games: Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Mario, Sonic, Pokemon, Mortal Kombat, etc. So, in-game advertising doesn't really apply to me, since they generally advertise in games that are in present day... Like, I wouldn't see an billboard for Coca Cola or a New Moon movie poster in Legend of Zelda, now would I?

From Video Games Online:

"Such motifs are a bold departure from the original explosion of the computer game industry, with the cartoonish fantasy worlds of Sonic the Hedgehog and The Super Mario Brothersseries, defining mainstream games of their time. It seems that, as technology and finances in the industry have developed, game makers have chosen to create games that are increasingly like reality; instead of using more powerful technology and greater funds for further, more in depth forays into the fantasy world, the current world's most popular games, like Grant Theft Auto, are using that power for the purposes of a kind of symmetry."

Livid. But It's Just a Game..

So when I got my laptop a year and a half ago, one of the applications I downloaded was Project 64, an emulator which enables me to play Nintendo 64 video games. I downloaded my favorites, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Super Mario 64.
I started playing Ocarina of Time and would play at my leisure, so I played for like over a year. I got stuck at the dreaded Water Temple because the keys on my laptop wouldn't zero in on the exact pixel I needed to hookshot onto, so then I got tired of that game and started playing Super Mario. I had a lot of fun playing that game, and my goal is to get all 120 stars. I didn't start playing Majora's Mask because I wanted to beat Ocarina of Time first. I was able to figure out how to get unstuck but still played Super Mario, and I wound up getting 104 stars.

This past weekend my laptop would not turn on, and I wound up having to take it to get fixed by getting a new hard drive. They were able to save my files, but not the files that has my saved games information.

I just lost a year and a half's progress in my video games.

...I don't plan on looking at those games for a while. Instead I downloaded Pokemon Snap! and will download Mortal Kombat 3.

I guess there could be worse things in life.. it's just a game after all.