No Girls Allowed

Came across an article today that talked about a Hearthstone tournament that is excluding female players. Apparently, eSports have a need to be segregated by gender just as other sports are. Huh? What grade is this? I thought gaming was the great equalizer. The article reminded me of an incident that happened to me when I was younger, enjoy.

Once upon a time, I had a clubhouse in my parent’s backyard. The clubhouse sat up off the ground on stilts. There was a sandbox underneath it where a very cool Transformer met his fate. Sand and Transformers do not mix.

I remember a time where the next door neighbor boy, Joe, came over to play. He brought a girl along with him. A girl. As we walked back to the clubhouse, I remember climbing up the ladder and proudly proclaiming, “no girls allowed.” This bomb against the cootie-infested girl did not strike as I planned. After a small debate, Joe turned around and walked away with the girl. He stood up to me and my childish play and chose not to hurt Andrea.

My son's fort out back. I jokingly call it my tornado shelter.
My son’s fort out back.

Looking back, I learned quite a bit from my backyard showdown with Joe and Andrea:

  • People won’t play with you if you are mean
  • Girls have feelings too.
  • Forgiveness takes time, especially when you single someone out…and then they refuse to play with you for weeks.

Andrea and I later became best friends. Joe moved away. The clubhouse was eventually cut down.

Loyalty

“What I value most in my friends is loyalty.” – David Mamet

Back in the early MMO days, I was active in a game called Asheron’s Call (AC). What made Asheron’s Call different was a simple ingredient that seasoned in-game relationships:

The Allegiance System – introduces the unique concept of vassals and patrons. In this system, a vassal swears allegiance to a patron. The patron then acts as a protector, item giver, and basically a guild leader. The reward for being a patron equals a daily award of experience points based upon a small percentage of experience that the vassal makes while playing. The allegiance system ultimately encourages the formation of miniature kingdoms, much like guilds found in today’s more modern MMO. – Asheron’s Call Celebrates 10 Years (via JBG)

Time, trust, and loyalty were the bonds that held the allegiance system together. A symbiotic scratching of backs, defense, and survival.

Pay Day

As I drove into work this morning, my mind was racing faster than my Honda Accord. I kept asking myself:

– Am I going to be let go this morning? –

– They wouldn’t fire me, would they? –

– If they don’t fire me today, will it happen in two weeks? –

Working for a firm that is on the verge of collapse is stressful. Seeing no hope on the horizon, in the form of incoming work, is enough to make anyone concerned.

In my situation, my patron is still putting in the time to try and salvage the operation. However, trust and loyalty were dissolved the moment a co-worker was let go. Who will be next? I’m not sure. No one wins this game of office Survivor.

Despite my earthly patron’s status, I know that my God is in control. As I was reminded yesterday in church, everything boils down to reminding myself of God’s promises AND believing that they are true. In fact, I’m even thinking of writing them down and randomly sticking them around the house. God promises me that I will overcome, if not in this life then the next.

Until next time: Who are you trusting to be your patron?

How High Will You Climb? by John C. Maxwell

Just as a farmer spends time and energy cultivating his fields a man needs to spend time cultivating his attitude. Pruning out the bad attitudes while meanwhile nourishing the good attitudes. John C. Maxwell’s How High Will You Climb?, talks about steering the internal mental plane of attitude. No matter the turbulence we encounter, with God as our co-pilot, John reminds us, we are not alone on this adventure.

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How High Will You Climb? features short, easy to digest chapters as well as Biblical and personal application. John does not shy away from sharing solid Biblical truth. But no matter how many times I tried to sit down and read this book, I couldn’t manage to break into it. The hook isn’t there. That is not to say that I didn’t glean some nuggets in my readings:

“Remember, the difficulty really becomes a problem when we internalize unfortunate circumstances. Another thing to remember when the weather gets rough is that what really matters is what happens in us, not to us! When the external circumstances lead to wrong internal reactions, we really have problems.” p60

In the end, I did not find How High Will You Climb? to be captivating. This is not a book I would recommend to friends or family who follow JBG.

I was given a copy of this book by BookLook Bloggers. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Mario Kart Goodness – The Fun in Playing with Others

Went over to my friend Jon’s house to celebrate his birthday last night. Had a great time catching up and eating some savory tacos followed by a slice of delicious cookie cake. As the evening passed by, Jon suggested playing some Mario Kart Wii.

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Man, I had forgotten how amazing it is to play a video game with three other people. Reminded me of all the good times I had playing Mario Kart 64 in high school/college. Even though I got my butt kicked, I had a lot of fun having a chance to play with others.

When was the last time you played a multiplayer game? What game was it?

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