The Xbox One Outrage

THE INTERNET IS ANGRY!!! ANGRY AT XBOX ONE!!! I NEED TO VOICE MY OUTRAGE FOR THIS THING AS WELL!!!  Actually no I’m not, but I would like to address some issues I see with most of these arguments that I don’t really see as making sense, and is more of a testament to how selfish, greedy, and paranoid the core gaming community is.

I’m so angry at this thing

Outrage #1:  USED GAMES REQUIRE A FEE!?! THIS IS BS WHAT IF I WANTED TO BORROW A COPY FROM A FRIEND TO TRY IT OUT!?!

Let me break this outrage down in a couple of ways.  First, yes the used game market does hurt the industry, because it hurts developers.  These hard working folks toil tirelessly to create an entertaining experience and end up being shafted by greedy publishers and distributors.  Used games cause a dent in those people’s pockets and thus ends up moving backwards to the people who actually love creating games.  This method, but still not the best, may ensure that the developers see some more capital.  I suppose this breaks down to would you rather give your money to greedy people that do pay the people who make the game, or would you rather give it a distributing company like GameStop that under buys, oversells, and none of the used sales money goes to the people who make the games?

Furthermore, this is a very similar model to how Steam works, and for some reason the gaming community gives them a free pass.  On Steam you make an account buy games (some of which you have already bought in the past but whatever you still want to play it without finding 10 floppy disks), and then using an internet connection you download, verify the game with some form of DRM, and then play the games.  How is this any different?  Is it because we still live in the days where Microsoft is the evil empire?  I’m not saying they’re perfect but the fact is that both Valve and Microsoft are businesses.  They are in it to make money, and they only care about you as long as you are consuming from them.  Flat out.  Stop pretending that they want to be your friend.

What’s the difference again?

Now as for borrowing a copy from your friend… Come on… You just want to play it without paying for it.  That’s selfish.  Free downloadable demos give you an opportunity to play a game so stop acting like they are some how keeping you away from the joy or trying to pull the wool over you.

Also I’ll address this here as well.  Yes, I have bought my fair share of used games.  Yes, I have acquired games by less that reputable means.  However I realize that those acts were selfish and I am just as guilty.  I have since tried to stop doing that, since now I know what developers have to go through, and it has given me a lot more respect for their work.  Developers, stay classy.

Outrage #2: NO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY!?! I MAY HAVE TO REPURCHASING GAMES THAT I ALREADY BOUGHT!?! THAT IS QUITE LITERALLY HITLER!!!

I actually spoke a little bit about this in my last post, and I don’t really see this as being as big of an issue as most people do.  Does some how buying this new console render people incapable of keeping their old one and hooking that up when they want to play those games?  If you are one of these people mad about this and yet you have more than one console hooked up to your TV, then please shut up.

WHAT NO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY!?!

As for repurchasing games, we are moving in an interesting direction where it seems like games are becoming more like a service akin to Netflix than actually owning a physical copy.  Once again Steam is the best example of a fully digitally distributed system where you purchase access to a game, but it does not necessarily belong to you.  For instant you cannot trade those games, you cannot resale those games, and if you die your account cannot be inherited.  Once again I have alluded to talking about this argument in more detail but for now, but the fact remains in the near future you won’t own games.  You’ll pay for the rights to play them.  Now if you want to play those games you already bought… Sadly, as it exists now, you have to repurchase them, and that is a result of this transition   It would be nice if there was some way to find a way to verify one had bought that game and then either have access to it for free or for a smaller charge, but as that seems like a logistical nightmare they are going to avoid that.

Outrage #3: MICROSOFT IS BIG BROTHER!!! THEY ARE ALWAYS WATCHING YOU!!! THE XBOX ONE WILL NEVER TURN OFF, SO THEY CAN SEE WHAT KIND OF CORN CHIPS YOU EAT AND THEN PUT IN GAME ADVERTISEMENT TRYING TO SELL YOU MORE CORN CHIPS… OR THEY WANT TO WATCH YOU JACK OFF!!!

I have to admit the always on thing… Doesn’t make much sense to me, and I get the idea of wanting to quickly get into playing with your new dog in the special edition Call of Duty Kinectimals.  However, it just seems like a pointless feature.  Now does that mean Microsoft is going to spy on you?  Seems very unlikely.  No one wants to pay a team of marketers to sit and watch neck beards in their boxers scream at a TV.

GOTY Confirmed

Those are the outrages I have seen more often than not.  I’m sure this post may cause more outrage, so I’m putting my flame shield on high and preparing for the worst.  However the fact remains, if you don’t like these practices then do not buy the console, but don’t act self entitled, greedy, and paranoid when a company is trying to make money.

 

The Reveal of Xbox One

The gaming world looked on today as Microsoft revealed it’s new console, and nearly everyone I know let out a collective, “meh”.  The presentation that Microsoft gave was mostly used to demonstrate the hardware benefits and also to crush rumors circling around the internet.

Let’s take a look at the facts as they stand.  People can take off their tin foil hats as it was confirmed that Xbox One does not need to be online all the time.  However it seems that it is advisable to have an internet connects to allow all the seamless media and updates to occur.  Speaking of media, the first part of the show seemed mostly dedicated to non-game features.  A segment, like many others in the past, went way too long.  It’s interesting that you are able to hot swap betwixt TV and IE quickly, but I don’t go buy a game console for those reasons.

The unit is a mostly unimpressive designed box.  It’s a box that looks as if a PS3 had mated with a 3DO.  I did notice that half of the shell was vents, and I’m glad they are working hard to avoid another RROD debacle.  However, it’s what inside that counts, and from some early specs it is a beast.  I cannot wait to see what comes down the pipeline in the next couple of years that harnesses all of that power.

There is no backwards compatibility, and while a lot of people are upset about this I really do not have a problem with it.  Virtual consoles have rendered the need for backwards compatibility useless.  ”Is it fair to have to pay for something you bought twice?”, I don’t think it is, but you are paying for convenience.  If you were so inclined to play those games then get up, hook up the old console, and play them the way they were meant to be played.  I, personally, am waiting for the day that consoles work more like Steam and it all becomes digitally distributed and/or digitally registered.  This way you only purchase it once, either online or in a store, register it through the console, and it perpetually works on that system or any other system that hold those rights.  However, this also holds an additional can of worms as who really owns the game?  The consumer? The game company?  This will be another blog post for another day.

I can’t believe they are making me hook up an old console

Like it or not the Kinect is required.  I do not have a problem with this as long as they don’t try to force developers to put in Kinect-centric features where they do not belong.  I was impressed to see that they had enhanced the device by adding in some finger recognition along with balance shifting.  This should make for some more interesting game play modes if implemented correctly.

While this was mostly centered around the features the games shown were not terribly impressive.  Here’s what I took from the main game showings.  EA Sports is still making sports.  The “Forza” demo screamed, “Check out these reflections!”. The “Call of Duty: Ghost” had some top notch dog graphics.

That’s a good lookin’ bitch

The overall feeling for this show was as if Microsoft treated all of us like a child who was born too close to Christmas.  They gave us some gifts for one holiday, and is holding out to give the rest later.  Hopefully E3 will be Christmas.

Game Show Case at Indie Grits!

I know it’s been a while since I have posted but I have been extremely busy working on many different events including this one.  This marks the first official year that independently developed games will be shown at Indie Grits!  Here is a list of the games to be shown:

Lost in the Middle Kingdom
Renaldo Doe, JJ Shepherd, Will Hoskins, Matthew Arnold:  2:00-4:00pm
A serious games that teaches the user to speak, read, and understand Chinese.  Think “Rosetta Stone: The Game”.

Cannon Crew
Renaldo Doe:  2:00-4:00pm
Shoot targets and score the most points in this mobile game.

Divide by Zero (/0)
Will Hoskins: 3:00-4:00pm
Difficult platformer, great music, and a robust level editor best describes this Android Mobile Game.

Hamster Ball
Vitale Zheltov, Michelle skipper, and Brandi Palmer: 2:00, 3:00, 4:00pm
Guide an adorable hamster through difficult mazes and around tricky obstacles.

Say It!
JJ Shepherd: 2:00, 3:00pm
Experience the therapy that teaches stroke patients how to speak again through this serious game.

[threshold]
Cecil Decker and JJ Shepherd: 2:00-4:00pm
Experience noise through play or non play with this thoughtful avant gard game.

Lost Sol
Richard Walker: 2:00-4:00pm
Solve puzzles using light in this mysterious game.

No Child Left Behind
Christine Cannon: 2:30, 3:30
Rescue children from a burning science lab to obtain the highest score in this witty and dark game.

Poker Smash
Drew Card: 2:oo-4:00pm
Shift cards to create hands in the fast paced puzzle game for the Xbox 360.

Don’t Be a Dick
Cecil Decker: 2:00, 3:00pm
Experience the dull and the mundane with this thought provoking and sometimes violent text-based adventure.  IN HD!

Guild of Mercenaries
Paul Park and Terral Patel: 2:30, 3:30
Venture forth, buy items, and slay enemies in this Governor School of Math and Science made game.

Lucy Heart of Gold
Susie and Jake: 2:30, 3:30pm
Guide Lucy through this platforming adventure to find happiness in this Governor School of Math and Science made game.

Defeat the Enemies 4: Into the Grid
Karl  Schober:  2:30, 3:30pm
Defeat your enemies in a surreal grid space.

Kinect Pong
JJ Shepherd: 2:00-4:00pm
Play the classic game Pong in a new way… With your entire body!  This fast paced game has all the charm of the 70′s with the controls of the future… Today!

Koy Button
James Sutherland Jr. : 2:00-4:00pm
Beautiful environments and tough gameplay await in a platformer game where you must collect and master the four buttons needed to power up a weapon that can destroy the ultimate evil.

These are a few that will be feature but there may be a few that may make a special appearance.  Hope to see you all there!

TEDx Talk

Here is my talk I gave at TEDx Columbia!  Enjoy BD>

Dissertation Work

Just another day working on the dissertation

Running for Mayor of UofSC

A Look Back at all the Boomboxes I Have Carried

This week I recently got a new boombox, and figured this would be a good time to take a look back at some of the previous boomboxes I have carried over the years.

IT HAS A STRAP!!!

When Elliot and I traded off carrying the boombox we carried a really beat up 80′s Sony.  The back plate was missing so we had a piece of cardboard covering it up and duct taped it all around.  We couldn’t move around too much while carrying it since the batteries would jingle loose.  This was also during the time where I had to make mix tapes and themes for the boombox, which was done by my very ad-hoc studio.  We carried Boxy around put it through even more wear and tear through our crazy adventures.  These were the humble beginnings of the boombox guy.

It was Leif Erickson day

When Elliot left, he took his boombox with him, and I was faced with a tough decision.  Was the boombox just a one semester fluke or was it worth carrying on?  After thinking about it and remembering all the laughs that it had brought to people I knew I had to carry it on.  I knew it was going to be tough going at it alone, since there were a handful of people who did not like the boombox guy.  Worst of all, I had to find a place that sold cheap D batteries!

Dismissing the haters and the power supply concerns, I set forth to find a new boombox.  Digging through stuff at my parents house I ran across a slightly newer Sony boombox.  It was black, twice as loud, and twice as heavy.  I liked it because it better represented my personality at the time.  I deemed this one Boxy 2 / “Blacky”.  I continued to make mix tapes, had theme days, and carried on the pursuit of spreading a little bit of humor around campus.

Jorts

I carried Boxy 2 through my sophomore and most of my junior years as an undergrad.  Sensing I needed a change, I went searching for a new boombox.  Boxy 2 had served me well but it was time to retire it.  I scoured through thrift stores, flea markets, and pawn shops to find a new one.  Despite my searching, I came up empty until my parents went to a strange flea market near the mountains.  They talked to a strange old man, who just so happened to have what I had been looking for.  Christmas that year they gave me Boxy 3 / “Boxy the Third”.  This Emerson boombox was slightly shorter but taller, older but sounded better, and was densely built.  This boombox became my companion through the rest of my junior year, my entire senior year, and through most of my pursuit for a masters.  This was also the one I was filmed in the interview for HDNet becoming the first boombox I had been televised holding.

Boxy the Third

It was around this time I stopped making mix tapes, since they were becoming increasingly harder to find, and decided to modernize with running a mp3 player through the boombox.  This turned out to be a great decision as I could now make playlists on the fly.

Nearing completion of my matsters, it was about time to retire “Boxy the Third”.  I then found an 80′s Magnavox which was very promising.  This one was slightly larger and louder, and was a beauty.  Easily this was going to be Boxy 4.  However shortly after taking it out and about, the line in for the mp3 player died, and the tape deck’s motor was busted.  It was a good radio, but couldn’t fulfill the role of a boombox.

Boxy 4

As strange fate would have it, around this same time my parents went to that bizarre flea market in the mountains and talked with that weird, little old man.  He just so happened to have another boombox.  For my birthday, my parents presented me with Boxy 5 / “The Beast!”  It was big, twice as heavy as the last, twice as loud as the last, it was a beast!  Also for some strange reason it took 9 D batteries instead of the standard 6 or 8.  This boombox became the most photographed of all of them.  From the “Garnet and Black: Have you seen Boombox Guy?” to “Rock Out with your Gamecock” to performing at “Runaway Runway” to being on the news here and there, I have been seen with this boombox more than the rest.  Thus became my signature boombox, and continues to serve me as one of the best boomboxes.

THE BEAST!

Being as heavy and cumbersome as it was, I then needed to find something a little smaller for other uses like kickball games, pub crawls, and other shenanigans that wouldn’t get in the way.  This is when I discovered Boxy 6 / “Skinny”.  This was a light weight, and surprisingly skinny GE boombox.  It was a perfect companion for a lot of nonsense I got into as I could easily run with this one.

Krampus

Now we come to the newest boombox, Boxy 7.  I do not yet have a name for it, but so far I like how good the sound quality is, how it hearkens back to the retro boxes but still modern, how light weight it is, and most of all it has a strap!  It’s funny to think I have went from 80′s boomboxes where we had to make mix tapes and repair it with duct tape to something a little newer, but still has all the character as the ones before.  Where do I go from here?  Who knows maybe I’ll build my own one day BD>