A Smite Story

I don't just play League of Legends, you know, I'm also an avid Smite player. No, I am not GOOD at Smite, I just love the game. Anyway, I want to tell you guys a story that happened to me in the game, and if you're not careful, you may just learn something before I'm done.

A New Patreon Account

I made a promise to keep this blog commercial free, and I intend to keep it. If you see ANY ads here, those were NOT approved by me, and you might have an ad malware, so get that computer/smartphone checked. However, the sad truth is that I am a poor ass college student, there's no jobs where I live, and leaving my country at the moment is next to impossible for me, as I have no money. I tried and I tried to find a job, to no avail. I did my best, and now it has come to this, my last resort. I have set up a Patreon account, where you, the readers, can send me a couple of loose change my way if you like what you read. I am NOT saying I'll stop writing the blog, mind you, but I am saying that you can now help me get some pocket money and help me survive my new college years. It'll be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. The link is here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=1015826&ty=h

December 3, 2017: Disregard that, please! I am now working as a teacher, earning  my own money! So don't worry bout no Patreon, alright?

Gamergate: The Five Best Moments

It's been a year since Eron Gjoni posted "thezoepost", a giant post detailing the personal failings and the abuse he had suffered from his girlfriend, game developer Zoe Quinn, which included allegations that she had cheated on him with several video game journalists in exchange for favorable coverage. This post proved to be the spark that would eventually light the fire that became Gamergate, one of the most successful online movements ever seen. In the past year, Gamergate has seen its ups and downs, its successes and failures. We have seen several voices rise up against us only to be silenced by the facts. We have made an indelible mark in not just games media, but in gaming culture, and even in the gaming industry. We have forced EVERY LAST games journalism site to update their ethics code, we have critically hurt the media giant Gawker, and we have destroyed the credibility of dozens of "journalists" who, a year ago, seemed untouchable. But what have been the five best moments of Gamergate's first year? Here is my Top 5 moments in Gamergate:

Feminism in Gaming

If you've been following Gamergate, you'll know that part of the contention has to do with feminism in gaming. The anti-Gamergate side will tell you that Gamergate opposes ALL feminism in gaming, and seeks to become some sort of cultural gatekeeper that keeps all progressive thought out of gaming culture. The pro-Gamergate side, which I proudly ascribe myself to, claims to oppose authoritarian feminism, claiming that many "feminist" critics seek to become authoritarian figures in gaming culture, to create games with strong political agendas, and dictate how developers ought to make their games. I am not here to argue which side is correct, as I am too biased to do so objectively. But I would like to ask this: why are gamers opposed to feminism?

Heroine's Quest and the Swan Maiden

Suppose you meet a woman who's married and has a child, and she's miserable. She's upset for a rather valid reason, like being unable to return home and thus feeling trapped by her situation. Suppose you had a way to help her one wish come true, but doing so would mean she'll abandon her family. What would your course of action be? That's the sort of situation presented in one of the sidequests in the game Heroine's Quest.

The first screenshot I took by myself for this blog!

Five Reasons Why I'm Still a Gamer

I've been a gamer since I was five years old. I first started by playing Super Mario World for the SNES, and my entire childhood was defined by that machine. Twenty four years later, here I am, making a blog about video games. In many ways, I've not changed since I was a child. I've been asked before, though, on why I'm still gaming, why I haven't "grown up" and be like the rest of my peers. These are my five reasons why I'm still a gamer.

Two Year Anniversary

Two years ago today, I took a chance, wrote something about Pokemon being a coming of age story, and started off what would become the best thing I ever did up to that point. It's been two years since that fateful day, and not once have I ever looked back. I am glad to be here, glad to have you as my readers, and most of all, I am glad to share with you my views, ideas, and opinions.

A lot has changed in the past year, hasn't it? Gamergate's almost a year old, now. The old game's journalism scene has been demolished: Gamasutra no longer has Leigh Alexander, Gawker is losing a lot of ground and support, and even Ian Miles Cheong, formerly as anti-gamer as Ben Kuchera and Zoe Quinn, has changed his position on us gamers. It's been a long, hectic ride.

A year ago, the corrupt gaming press declared the gamer to be a "dead identity", one that could be ignored safely in favor of the "progressive hipster" crowd. A year later, developers have learned that money can only be made by pandering to the gamer, not the hipster; gamers will praise you for making honest effort and a good product, but the progressive hipster/SJW crowd will denigrate every mistake you make. A lesson Tale of Tales, a no name publisher that focused too much on art games, learned the hard way.

But I don't want to talk about Gamergate today; that's for another blog entry you might see later this month. Today, I want to quickly write my thanks to you, the reader, for sticking with me for two whole years. Also, I want to make a promise to you: that this blog will never post anything "click bait", that I will ALWAYS do my research on whatever topic I write about, that video games will forever be treated with love and respect on this blog, that there will be no "Social Justice Warrior" style of rhetoric, and that if there exists another perspective on a certain subject or a differing argument, it will be treated with respect.  My comments section will always remain open, and differing ideas will be respected.

One thing I have learned this past year is that people view the world differently; my way and your way might not be the same. My way of viewing the world is just as legitimate as yours, and vice versa. That's why we have to be open minded to new ideas and new perspectives; something SOME people need to learn. But that's something I'll be talking about in a future blog.

Anyway, thank you for two years. I am hoping for many, many more!