JohnnyBGamer

Recovery

In light of my upcoming scheduled surgery, I thought it would be fun to talk about my gaming experience the last time I was in surgical recovery. Prepare for a flash-backed story in 3, 2, 1.

Many moons ago, my wisdom teeth decided to become impacted and were in need of a good pull. My parents, being the wonderful people that they are, decided to rid my mouth of these painful nuisances. So, we quickly found a local ex-military oral surgeon who was willing to embark on this potentially painful mission. A few hours later, I was at home in the bed of recovery. Finally, rest!

Hyped up on Vicodin to help ease the pain, I fired up the faithful SEGA Genesis. Vectorman was on the menu.

The first time I played the game I got to the end, used all my continues, and died. Game Over.
The second time through I somehow did the same thing.
The third time though…I beat the game! Take that Warhead!

I actually think that Vectorman was the first 16-bit game I had ever beaten. Simply glorious! The precision with which I could play the game, after almost beating it multiple times, was borderline machine-like. I had somehow overcome the pain, embraced the drugs, and evolved into Vectorman.

Gamer OCD

I have quickly come to the conclusion that I play too many games at the same time. A friend of mine calls it “gamer OCD”. Want proof? Within the last month I have explored:

Ratchet and Clank: Future
Dragon Age Origins
Final Fantasy 13
World of Warcraft
Little Big Planet
Flower (With only six levels, I rocked this game!)
Final Fantasy 7
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

Did you count how many games I have played off and on? 8! Keep in mind that it is not like I play each game for 5 minutes and then jump to the next. No sir. Instead I dump more than a few hours into each title. With Final Fantasy 13, I have probably played for more than 6 hours total. Run. Battle. Discuss random things. Run. Battle. Etc.

The problem with moving between so many games at a time is that you quickly forget how to play a specific game. Take last night for instance when I fired up Final Fantasy 13 and quickly died. I had forgotten how to play the game. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So, where am I going with all this? This year, I really want to focus on playing one game until I complete it or decide to discard it forever. FOREVER. I inwardly laugh over making such a resolution (I don’t think I’m capable of it) but I would certainly like to try.

Climb aboard my tidy ship of serial-gaming-monogamy. The waters ahead could be a tad rough.

Radical 3 – Two Different Mindsets: Receivers Vs. Reproducers

As I have continued my journey through David Platt’s Radical, I have come across a section that I thought I’d like to share. This particular section deals with what Platt calls Receivers Vs. Reproducers. Let me explain:

A Receiver receives the Word of God and does nothing with it. Whatever has been:

Preached
Taught
Heard
or Witnessed

All of the above come to a dead end by the believer absorbing the information.

Meanwhile, a Reproducer listens with the intent that the information being presented needs to be passed on. They replicate and apply the the teaching to not only their own lives but in the lives of others.

I have to be honest that I often listen to sermons and such with an attitude of “how does this apply to me?” A very “me” mindset. I do not purposefully absorb spiritual information in an attempt to purposefully pass it on to others. While this may sometimes unintentionally happen, I do not actively practice the art of being a Reproducer.

As we move into 2011, this is something that I realize I need to change. Call it a New Year’s resolution if you will. Until next time.

Pain

There is something about pain that sucks all the life and creativity out of a person. Constant, persistent, throbbing pain has been plaguing my lower back since the end of October. At first I thought it was a pulled muscle or something. So I went to a chiropractor and was told I was suffering from a pinched sciatic nerve. A month and an MRI later, I have found out that I have two herniated discs and multiple tears. What I did to my back, I cannot even tell you as I do not know myself. Life is crazy.

In the midst of pain, I am finding myself wondering what the point of all this is. I mean, I am relatively young (a year short of 30) and I have never injured myself in a major way. As a Christian, I am trying to see what the bigger picture is. What does God have planned in this? If I end up having to have back surgery (which I have been told is likely), I will have plenty of time to ponder this question. In the meantime, I thought that I’d post this in an effort to explain my absence lately and lack of posts. As the pain ebbs and flows, I will no doubt be back to writing on a more consistent basis. Until then.

Beyond the Cataclysm

So, you’ve just shattered a six year old game Blizzard Entertainment, what are you going to do next?

1. Release expansion packs that build upon the new Cataclysm content. Expansion packs are like the carrot on the end of a stick, enticing gamers to hang around for new content. Will there be new races and lands announced in the future? You betcha ya!
2. Find ways to further grow the current player base. Research into video game addiction and recruiting your grandma will no doubt be internally announced soon. “What are the kids into these days?”, they’ll ask. Hopefully the addition of Silly Bandz, Webkinz mini-games, or anything remotely related to cutsey talking animals are added to the Azerothian landscape.
3. With the release of Cataclysm, the ablity to fly all over the Warcraft world will finally be attained (or soI have been told/ lied to). The next logical step, in WoW’s development, will be to add an underground kingdom. Imagine riding around on mole mounts past vast underground cities and luminous lakes. Let the current Minecraft game/ craze be your guide!
4. In-game advertising! Always remember, a druid likes to be reminded of the latest hamburger available at Burger King.
5. Celebrity designed armor sets. Wait, never mind.
6. Drop the current monthly pay structure. Free is the way to be.

*Inspired by Bio Breaks Where can World of Warcraft go from here article/ posty thing.