March 28th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Mike Krahulik, also known as “Gabe” from Penny Arcade, shared via his Twitter feed one of his newest creations. It isn’t a comic strip or a print…it isn’t even an illustration. Below you can see his engineering marvel, perfect for any avid gamer also looking to get into shape (which is most of us), the “WoW Treadmill“.
The idea’s quite brilliant. While you’re legs are working hard, what are your arms doing for you? And as we all know, the devil finds work for idle hands.
I’ve thought of similar means burning calories while level grinding. Whenever I’m seen in the gym, I’m usually kicking back on a cycling machine, peddling furiously with my PSP or DS drawn to my face. By the time the workout program sounds off, I’ve broken quite the sweat and my party has grown three levels. If I had exercise machines in my own home, I’m certain I’d pimp them out in the same fashion.
Posted in Games, Health, Humor | No Comments »
March 27th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
GotGame published my interview with Yaya Han today. My experience with her was such a treat! She’s very sweet and quite sharp. I can only hope that the comments that proceed the interview’s publishing are respectful. Heh, but that’s asking a lot of the typical gamer…
I’ve been thinking about some other people I’d like to interview in the future. Especially now that I know that all I usually have to do is ask.
One thing I do know is that I want to change how I do the interviews. To be honest, I don’t imagine that the past two interviews I’ve done (Omi and Yaya) will be as successful as I’m probably not catering to my audience properly. I like to ask very informative questions because I’m genuinely curious about my subject and their crafts. Unfortunately, the target audience for most gaming sites like GotGame are young people who don’t want to learn about people…they want to be entertained. The questions that I’m sure that they’d prefer I’d ask are closer to, “Are her tits real?” or “Does she fuck in costume?”
While these are what the masses demand, I’m not that crude. And I don’t think the people I interview would be as willing to participate if that’s the approach I took with them. So I think that one of my goals is to find fun questions that both my subjects and audience will find engaging.
Also, I feel a little lazy with simply sending out a questionnaire–it doesn’t feel like a real interview. For the moment, it’s just what feels most convenient for both myself and the (often busy) person I want to interview. What I may do is work out a 2-3 round chat session or email conversation so I can dig a little deeper and do some follow-ups with the person. From there, I’d write about the person as a short biography, using quotes from our conversations.
With that plan, I may yet fool the world into thinking that I’m a professional writer. Mwahaha…
Posted in cosplay, interviews | No Comments »
March 21st, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Posted in Tech | No Comments »
March 13th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Today, a headline was posted at Kotaku, “Man Solicits 11-Year-Old For Naked Pictures Via PS3.” This headline filled me with a crimson rage. Not because of the reported sexual predator–I celebrate his capture–but of how the story has been covered.
Whenever video game-related tragedies appear in the mainstream media, the journalists in our corner are quick to parrot the story, carrying along the same context in which it was reported. By doing so, they give credence to the mainstream’s sensationalized spin on the story; that video games are an active player in these events. In this case, Kotaku didn’t even bother to quantify the “man” as a “criminal” as ABC News had done.
Obviously, the solution isn’t in sweeping these stories under the rug. We can’t pretend they didn’t happen and since they are relevant to our niche culture, they should be addressed in our own media. It’s the tone that needs to be reevaluated. The mainstream likes to transmit the notion of “Look what video games caused this person to do!” If our journalists are to act as our voice, they shouldn’t confirm this message…they should respond.
If there’s a means for a sexual predator to remotely victimize their prey, they will use it. They do not exclusively subscribe to a single channel; they use whatever is available. This case was just the PS3’s turn.
Instead of the headline above, a more honest way the story could be reported might be “Pedophile Captured By Tracing His PS3 Account”. The same story is told, but with the game console championed by its role, rather than being regarded as an evil-inspiring devil box.
When the mainstream media demonizes video game just for being present for a crime, the community rolls its eyes. We mourn the people who are hurt while laughing at the media’s misinterpretations. But when our own media recites the story in the same light, it only confirms the fears of ignorant parents and makes gamers ashamed of themselves by association.
Way to snub your own reader base, Kotaku.
Posted in Games, rants | No Comments »
March 11th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Someone (attempting to be cute) produced a periodic table of elements, replacing the actual elements with video game characters somewhat fitting the abbreviations. I was pleased to see some truly classic characters posted, including some more obscure ones, like the tank from Combat, Evil Otto from Berzerk, and Hoagie from Day of the Tentacle.
While it appears at first that the creator has high video game vocabulary, there are just as many signs of desperation in filling out the chart. Visible are many characters that may have had popular video games, but are separate franchises all their own. Characters like Batman, Homer Simpson, Naruto, and Strong Bad may have a solid video game presence, but are more in-laws than blood relatives.
Then there are characters that don’t belong on any kind of list for video game icons. Heifer from Rocko’s Modern Life, Iron Man,and Eugene H. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants may have appeared in games, but none of them were memorable. I don’t even remember Yogi Bear ever even having a video game, but that fact may only serve my point.
What I’d like to offer is the Periodic Table of Awesoments; constructed of clever and win. This person clearly took their time in breaking down and organizing the basic elements of all things awesome. Bonus points from me for listing bacon as #1.
Click to Enlarge
Posted in Games, Humor | No Comments »
March 9th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
When I’d first heard that Adam Carolla was going to launch his own daily radio show at the dawn of 2006, I was furious.
Not because I despise the man; quite the opposite. I’d grown to love Adam’s sharp wit, forthright attitude, and appreciation for dick jokes for over a decade when he co-hosted Loveline. It saddened me when he left that show because I knew it wouldn’t be the same without him. My heart sank in fear that I may never hear his nasally drone again, or at least a very long time.
Adam started work on his own morning talk radio show on a Los Angeles-based station with no immediate promise of picking up any affiliates on the East Coast (where I currently call home). Luckily, through the power of the internet, I was able to acquire recordings of his show from other Carolla fans. Once again, I could enjoy daily helpings of Adam, with an additional hour of material per episode than Loveline.
Unfortunately, it was only a few months later that the spell began to lift as I was less and less enthusiastic about upcoming episodes of the show. The temporary addition of Danny Bonaduce only revived my interest for a short while before I eventually just stopped listening.
When I think back to where my attention dropped, I think it was because the show felt repetitious. Even though it gleamed with the Ace Man’s trademark style, it started to resemble every other morning zoo crew radio show. I wondered, is this it? Did Adam run out of material? Can he not make it on his own, or is he only at his best as someone else’s sidekick? I’d almost lost the faith.
I’d heard that Adam’s show had been canceled; his last broadcast appearance hitting the air this past February 20. Almost a week later, he’d set up his own podcast. I lamented that it was an act of desperation and the harbinger of dark times for Adam’s career. It took me nearly another week to finally give him another listen.
Once more, my faith is renewed.
In his first podcast, Adam Carolla spoke candidly about his show’s cancellation and his feelings regarding the overall experience. It was Adam in his most raw form; something that I’d never fully heard, but deeply missed. He assured his listeners that financially, he was perfectly fine (he’s being paid through the end of this year for his radio contract) and that he started the podcast in order to satisfy his own passion for talk radio. He’s hoping to build up a presence in independent broadcasting through internet media and he has plenty of side projects as well.
I owe a lot to Adam Carolla. By giving us a peek behind the curtain, he taught me the reality of business beyond the smoke and mirrors. From him, I learned that in order to succeed, you have to work hard, be smart, and always remain true to myself. If not for Adam, I may have gotten stuck in the dead-end clutches of corporate retail, rather than pursuing my dreams of establishing an independent business, sharpening my skills into marketable trades.
I’ve linked his podcast in my sidebar. I fully endorse giving him a listen yourself.
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March 6th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Sony is currently talking with developers about publishing their game libraries on the PlayStation Network for digital download. The goal is to further transform PSN into something more comparable to Nintendo’s Virtual Console, creating a new outlet for purchasing and playing video games from previous console generations.
GOOD.
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Posted in Business, Games | No Comments »
March 1st, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Just a warning, this review is full of spoilers. I’ve added a cut to keep from ruining the movie for people who have not yet seen it. Though I use the term “ruin” lightly.
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Posted in Reviews, Street Fighter, TV & Movies | No Comments »
