Of GamerGate, Draft Posts, and Moving Forward...

When I started this blog, I had two things in mind. 1) I wanted to cover topics relating to skepticism and video games, and intertwine them as often as possible. 2) I had no idea how the hell I would accomplish such a thing. Looking back, however, I think I did it, whatever "it" was meant to be. I was able to exercise my skeptic muscles, and present a personal yet overly objective analysis of various topics. I'm proud of my work, but recent events have led me to take things down a different path.

Continue on if you must, but it's mostly ranting, with less objectivity than previous posts, and completely self-serving. There's a tl;dr at the bottom if you're into that sort of thing. I'll give you a brief rundown of what I've learned about all that's involved with GamerGate, but if you want more, you'll have to go Google it yourself. To say the waters are muddied is to say the Ganges might have a bit of fecal matter in it.

Slipping Down the Slope: A Guide to Common Logical Fallacies

Recently I had an exchange with Sam Killermann, founder and head of Gamers Against Bigotry, where we debated our positions on a hot-button social issue that was on the activist website. I won't get into specifics, but our cordial and respectful back-and-forth led to a common-ground understanding of not only where we stood (which was together on the same soapbox), but also a request from Sam for me to write an article for GAB. Reasoned and respectful debate leading to a positive outcome? Who woulda thought! I'm very grateful to Sam for this opportunity, as I fully stand with the message GAB is trying to send to the gaming community at large. Here is the article I eventually submitted.

Free to Rage

When gaming first entered the home, the goal of console manufacturers was to deliver the experience you get at an arcade without having to dump hundreds of quarters into the game. Arcade games were built as a monetization platform, designed to be difficult so as to maximize the number of quarters fed into them. Home consoles changed that by being able to provide fun and challenging games you can play with your friends for a one-time payment.

Sadly, folks, we've come full circle on a steep, downward spiral. The latest money-making trend goes by different names: free-to-play or F2P, freemium, pay-to-win. There are different forms of it that I'll cover, and many share common traits. But the primary goal is to leech as much money out of the player as possible.

Much Ado About Nothing

Recently, an awful thing happened. Rare, at Microsoft's 2013 E3 press conference, debuted a new Killer Instinct game, and it will be Free-To-Play with only one free character, and all others will have to be bought. But that's not what everyone is focused on...

Wasted Opportunity - A Post-Mortem of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

The Xperia Play was the first serious (we don't talk about the N-Gage) mobile gaming phone. Built by Sony, sold through Verizon, and marketed with exclusives such as Minecraft Pocket Edition, it was destined to be a force of reckoning in the smartphone and portable gaming world. Let's see if it lived up to the hype.

Once Upon a Time in the Game Industry

Among the gaming old-farts, I'm a tween at best, but still a silver-hair. I shake my grey brick of a GameBoy at all of these young whipper-snappers and tell them to get off of my virtual lawn. The GameBoy still works, by the way, though I think The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is permanently jammed in the cartridge slot.

It is once again with this "back in my day" mindset that I am here today. Tuck in, fellow gamers, and I will tell you a bedtime story.

Profit Mongering (The New Business as Usual)

Being 25 at the time of this writing, I can safely say I am an old fart when it comes to gaming. As such, I feel entitled to a bit of "back in my day" ranting. Allow me to wax nostalgic for a bit.

Viva Taliban!

Video games have long been a source of controversy with regards to their content. Many are violent, some are pornographic, and even the more benign games are likely to contain something that someone finds offensive. That becomes more likely when games seek to emulate major events going on in the world. But where can we draw the line on how true to life a game can be?

Fight the Future: DLC in the Wake of Advancing Technology

Downloadable content (DLC) has been the norm for several years, but I bring its usefulness and practicality into question. It may be "the way things are" now, but should consumers tolerate it?

Gaming in the Midst of Current Events

Many would argue that video games are realistic. They're certainly getting more realistic every day, especially with the industry's overzealous focus on graphics (but that's another post). Soccer moms would talk your ear off about how games are too realistic, with exploding heads and blood everywhere. Heaven forbid they actually pay attention to what their kids are playing (sorry, yet another post there). As realistic or unrealistic as games are or are not, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who would disagree that there are lines game developers should not cross.

Procedurally-Generated Content and You

Procedurally generated content is an old trick for video game developers. Using some algorithms, parts of games can be randomized to make things more realistic. Some examples would be a troop of soldiers with randomized faces, or a jungle with randomly placed trees. But remember, it's not really random - it's done through math, to give the appearance of random. Read on for more on this technique.

Stealth? In my shooter?

It's more likely than you think.

Core Functionality of Counter-Strike: Source's Bots

While I was attending Collins College, I had a class in Artificial Intelligence and Game Design. For a group project, I interviewed Michael Booth. Yes, the Michael Booth, CEO of (at the time) Turtle Rock Studios, developer of the Counter-Strike bots, main brain behind the phenomenal Left 4 Dead. This was very exciting for me at the time. Read on for our exchange.