Game makers: You’re losing me as a gamer

My Current-Gen Game Collection

My Current-Gen Game Collection

I remembered in middle school, I would try my hardest to save my allowance just so I can buy a $29.99 game to feed my Nintendo Gameboy. In high school when I was working part-time at the SFUSD as a web designer, I would do the same thing and buy not some, but ALL Squaresoft (now Square Enix) game releases on the original PlayStation. Final Fantasy VII, Parasite Eve, Bushido Blade, Brave Fencer Musashi, Xenogears– you name it, I have it. Everything was so exciting for me and the creativity I found in videogames seemed limitless.

Fast forward to today when games are more accessible and affordable than ever, and I find myself lacking the motivation to even pick up the game controller. I’ve bought my fair share of games in the past twelve months, from Zelda: Skyward Sword to Dark Souls to Rayman Origins, yet the only game I have actually finished was Uncharted 3 back in December of last year.

Part of that reason is the overall direction of gaming. A medium that used to transport me to another world has become something I’ve seemingly played just eighteen months before, changed only by the edition or version printed on the cover. Slowly but surely, I find myself turning on my PS3 at the end of the work day only for Netflix and nothing else. Not even for a quick round of Street Fighter IV.

Games are now created with increasing production value, they are also taking less risk to ensure profitability. Assassin’s Creed II was amazing, but in what way were the next two follow-ups original? Resident Evil 4 was a complete turnaround for the series, but how successful did Capcom in taking Resident Evil 5 to the next level?

Walt Disney didn’t build his empire by creating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and then follow-up with Snow White 2, Snow White 3, or even Snow White 3: Ultimate Remix Edition. So how can videogames possibly be mainstream (or otherwise be taken seriously by critics) when most games out there just look like a ripped-off Michael Bay movie? Alien first-person shooters in a post-apocalyptic setting, really?

That’s why I’m honestly more interested in an offbeat game like Rhythm Heaven Fever than Skyrim or Syndicate, just as I’m more interested in risk-taking game like Bastion than another generic modern war shooter. Videogames are created to inspire and introduce people to new experiences, so perhaps ideas should come from organic inspirations instead of market research data.

I’d happily play an original game with a distinctive message instead of a rinse-and-repeat game that offers little more than an upgraded weapon. Until then, I don’t mind using my PS3 as a glorified Netflix player.

<3 wins

Winson Shuen works at IGN but is not an editor. All opinions expressed here are solely his own and do not represent his employer by any means. You can follow him on Twitter @vdot90.

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by wins on February 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by wins on February 25, 2012

http://vdot90.com/2012/02/25/game-makers-youre-losing-me-as-a-gamer/

The Funny Thing About Writing Funny

LA is a funny place. It encourages you to chase after something you wouldn’t otherwise pursue. Unlike San Francisco or Portland where it’s equally, if not more important, to realize that life is great and everything is what it is, Los Angeles is a city built on dreams and aspirations.

As much as the red “real American” states like to tell you otherwise, LA is a model American city — a true land of opportunity, and a place where the mantra of “you can achieve anything you want” is breathed-in-and-out on a daily basis.

* * *

I’m a funny guy. I’m fully aware that I’m never going to be an underwear model (nor should I be one) and that my chance of EGOTing is pretty non-existent, but I know I’m a good friend and a fun guy to be around with.

That said, “funny” is also a very subjective thing. Unlike a SAT score or a college GPA, I can’t really explain to you exactly just how funny I am. You either get it or you don’t.

My sense of humor is most prominent on Twitter, mostly because the service allows me to be spontaneous to jot down the many random thoughts that live in my head throughout the day. This blog, on the other hand, is pretty serious. I tend to compose my ideas and opinions from the more cerebral, cathartic side of me.

I was talking to my good friend, Michael Rawley (@mikerawley), a few weeks ago on how to combine my humorous side of Twitter with my serious side of my blog. He mentioned that he always knew that I’m a funny guy and that I just need to let go of my insecurities and just go nuts, because that’s what comedy should be.

I’ve mentioned on this blog that I believe in written words, as it’s the only medium that allows me to place my thoughts directly into a reader’s head. But as powerful as writing can be, it’s surprisingly difficult to translate my sense of humor into words.

One of the reasons is that I see comedy mainly as an interactive experience. From hosting a talk show to doing stand-up, there’s always an audience who can guide the performer forward. With text everything becomes stale and one-sided. The only reason my tweets are funny is because they’re purposefully short and on-point (though most of the time I’m too stingy to write anything less than 140 characters — there are hungry children in Africa, #amirite?), but it is remarkably more difficult to pull off comedy with actual storytelling.

Obviously, Tina Fey, Louis CK, Stephen Colbert, David Sedaris, and countless others prove otherwise. I’m constantly inspired by their work and always wish I can create something just as solid. Maybe Michael is right; perhaps I just need to stop worrying and start writing.

<3 wins

Winson Shuen works at IGN but is not an editor. All opinions expressed here are solely his own and do not represent his employer by any means. You can follow him on Twitter @vdot90.

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by wins on February 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Life
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Posted by wins on February 13, 2012

http://vdot90.com/2012/02/13/the-funny-thing-about-writing-funny/

Sh*t I Wanted to Say During Dental Surgery

Thanks to my shitty genes (survival of the fittest does not bode well for me), I just endured a two-hour long bone grafting/Osseous procedure with the periodontist. It wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences, so as a defense mechanism I closed my eyes as soon as the procedure started and entertained myself with nothing but my witty imagination and the noises coming from my mouth, which I assumed to be a horrifying 8-bit cat sacrificial ritual.

Here are some of the things that went through my head:

  • “Man, he’s like spray painting my mouth with sprinkles right now. Ooh, or maybe vodka.”
  • “I wonder if he goes through this much trouble if he dropped a penny underneath his couch.”
  • “Open… open” he kept saying. I guess he’s a big fan of those Mervyn’s door-busters sales.
  • “‘Open wide’ he said. I wonder why dentists don’t ever tell me I’ve opened my mouth wide enough.”
  • “Now I can tell this is a saw, but I would much rather think of it as a live reenactment of Transformers: The Movie. That Megan Fox is mad bleeding right now.”
  • “Is he helping me floss right now? Wait, wait, nope, that floss definitely just went through my gums.”
  • “The periodontist’s belly is touching my head and he’s got at least three fingers in my mouth; this is at least second base by my book.”
  • “Ok, he definitely reiterated ‘Don’t spit, just swallow in the next 24 hours’ one too many times.”
  • “Oh sweet! He just told me that he hooked me up with some human bone implant (instead of cow bone), but is it bad that I want to ask ‘What ethnicity?’”

And as much as I’m unable to talk in the next few hours, I’m really dying to say this:

You got stitches on your arm? That’s cute because I got a stities on my gum, bitch.

(Note: This must be said in the tone of Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad.)

<3 wins

Winson Shuen works at IGN but is not an editor. All opinions expressed here are solely his own and do not represent his employer by any means. You can follow him on Twitter @vdot90.

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by wins on February 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Life
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Posted by wins on February 1, 2012

http://vdot90.com/2012/02/01/sht-i-wanted-to-say-during-dental-surgery/

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