Regarding the Cancellation of 'Legends of the Game Industry' Panel

Those of you who have been reading this blog from day 1 know that I am not just a writer, but I'm also a teacher. I'm also an unashamed supporter of the Left, and pretty damn liberal too. I'm all for women's representation in gaming, equality in the work force, and all that. But I don't support this cancellation.

A Quick Thought Regarding Gamergate

We've won. There's no two ways about it, we've won. We set out to put ethics in games journalism, and we did. We got Leigh Alexander fired from Gamasutra, relegating her to some no-name site she eventually resigned from. Dunces like Patrick Klepek have made themselves known to outsiders as corrupt, unethical bloggers who don't deserve a second of your time. The old guard of games journalism is dead, and new sites, like TechRaptor and Based Gamer, have taken their place. Conservative gamers now have a voice; likewise, Liberal gamers no longer need to feel ashamed of opposing 'feminists' who do little more than demonize games. We've won.

But the battle is not over, nor will it ever be truly over until every developer can feel like they can make ANY game they want and not worry about being censored by hyper-sensitive feminists. Until games journalism earns its credibility with gamers. Until a game can win an award and no one will have to wonder if the award was truly earned or if it was a "favor" cashed in. Until independent games are made by people with a passion for gaming instead of a frustrated Liberal Arts major. Then, and ONLY then can we say "Gamergate's over."

What Happened to Sonic?

Twenty four years ago, Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the biggest game franchises in the world. Comic books, cartoons, and of course the games, the Blue Blur was not as much a franchise as he was a phenomenon. Today, though there are still the comics and a cartoon, the Blue Blur is simply not the powerhouse he once was. What happened?

Video Game Journalism: Good Idea, Bad Idea

If you've ever watched Animaniacs, you'll understand the title's reference. Anyway, the following is a list of five things you SHOULD do if you were a video game reviewer or journalist, followed by the direct opposite thing that you should avoid doing. Like the title says, it's a Good Idea versus a Bad Idea.

Tattoo Assassins- Analyzing a Failure

Imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery; sometimes it's just a shortcut to success that seldom works. In gaming, few imitators see any level of success comparative to what was being originally copied. Bubsy attempted to copy Sonic the Hedgehog, with limited success. Super Smash Bros is a multmillion dollar franchise, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale was a dead flop. Some copy cat games get released quietly, and some are never released at all. One of these was Tattoo Assassins, a game that shamelessly copied off of Mortal Kombat. The game was a shameless ripoff; its cancellation was to the bereavement of nobody. But, did it have potential?

photo taken from http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/tattoo-assassins/

20,000 Visitors Special- Quick Words of Thanks

So today, a new milestone was reached: 20 thousand visitors. Honestly I am humbled, because when I first started I thought for sure I'd never get this far. Holy crap, 20 thousand people have visited my blog to read my things!

I know I'm not the best writer out there, and I'm taking steps to improve both my content and my style. When I write, though, I don't write to meet any demands besides my own. Sometimes I meet my demands, sometimes I don't. I'm not always happy with what I churn out, but I will tell you this right now: NOTHING on this blog is half assed.

Unless I'm sick or something, every entry you read has been carefully thought out before it's been written. As I make zero dollars from this blog, you will read NOTHING resembling click-bait. This isn't Gawker, after all. And unlike Kotaku or The Mary Sue, you can be sure that every article was written with a love and respect for gaming and its culture!

What I write, I write out of passion for gaming, on my own time, on my own dime. No bosses to tell me what to add or delete, no sponsors to bribe me to give a game a glowing review it never earned! Just my thoughts, pure and simple! 

Thank you for your patience with me, for giving me a voice, and for reading my articles. More to come in the future!

Just for Fun- The Five Worst Games I've Ever Played

I've been gaming since I was just a five year old child, and in that long and illustrious time playing games, I've played some truly fantastic games. I've played games that have changed my perspective in life, games that have entertained me for hours on end, and even games that changed my life for the better! League of Legends, EVO: The Search for Eden, Final Fantasy Tactics, The Crooked Man, these are but a few of the best games I've ever played. But, I also played some pretty damn bad games in my time. This is a short list of the five WORST games I've had the misfortune to play.