A Valentine’s Day Update

I am currently listening to the rain’s pitter-patter on the windows. I can hear a train’s horn off in the distance. All is quiet in the office except for the gentle purr of my air purifier.

Woke up this morning, my wife made me breakfast. (My co-workers said to me, “Doesn’t your wife make you breakfast everyday?”) Not just any breakfast, mind you, but a special Valentine’s Day breakfast. I ate a toast with a special heart shape (filled with eggs), bananas and blue berries, and even a piece of sausage. So good.

This past weekend, as everyone was watching the Super Bowl, Tabitha and I went out to a new Mexican place called Chuy’s. Man, we needed this time! Hadn’t had a chance to be alone–just the two of us–since well before our anniversary (January 27th). In fact, we didn’t do anything for our anniversary because of a youth event called The Rise. But when you get to see students respond to the Gospel and sing with their hearts to the God of the Heaven, it’s worth it.

I am currently reading Robert Jordan’s The Dragon Reborn – The third book in the Wheel of Time series.

I am also reading, for devotional, Dane C. Ortland’s In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions through the Psalms.

Playing a whole lot of Clash Royale on mobile with a side of TowerFall, Sea of Stars demo, and the Octopath Traveler 2 demo.

I’m just here, making the money, on a wet Tuesday.

What are you reading, watching, or playing?

Let me know in the comments below.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake – It’s Out Of This World!

SpongeBob and his starfish pal Patrick have screwed up, big time. While playing with a magic bubble wand, they destroyed their home town, Bikini Bottom. Join them as they team up to explore 7 strange new worlds in an effort to save Sandy Cheeks, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, Gary, and Squidward.

What We Loved

  • The original voice actors from the SpongeBob cartoon show, voice the characters which makes a good storyline even better.
  • The platforming reminds me of Super Mario Odyssey with a little bit of Rayman Legends.
  • Just when you think you have all the secret moves, the game gives you more. My favorite is the scaring move, which you use to destroy the anglerfish in the Halloween world.

What We Disliked

  • Technical glitches. The game starts freezing up after World 3. This game needs stinking patches!
  • The wormhole sequence, when traveling to and from a world, is a wasted opportunity. What is essentially a loading screen segment screams for you to be collecting barnacles and even Krabby Patties.

In the End

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is an excellent platformer set within the quirky world of Bikini Bottom. The game is perfect for pass-n-play gameplay or just playing solo. If you are looking for a fun and easy platformer, with some unique bubble wand fighting, SpongeBob is the game for you.

5 – Just buy it already

Title: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
Developer: Purple Lamp, Purple Lamp Game Development GmbH
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed On: PlayStation 4
MSRP: $39.99

Review by Wyatt Hall & Bryan Hall

*SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake was reviewed using a code provided by EvolvePR.

When A Game Becomes Work

Daily, Wyatt and I have been playing Supercell’s Clash Royale since early December. Clash Royale, for those who do not know, is a game that features a combination of card collecting and tower defense, all set against a multiplayer battle arena. We’ve played with people around the world, battling for dominance and upgrades.

The other night, Wyatt confessed to me, “I think I’m ready to quit Clash Royale. I’ll hand over leadership of our guild to someone else… perhaps to the guy who plays a lot.”

I proceeded to give him a hard time about playing the game, faithfully, everyday (I was joking). But I couldn’t stop the nagging in the back of my head, did Wyatt have a point?

“Why do you want to quit?”

“The game just isn’t fun anymore and feels like work.”

Every morning, I get up, get dressed, and drive to work. At work I assist people, order supplies, and run an office. I do this so that twice a month, I receive a pay check.

My relationship with video games is entirely different. With video games, I play for entertainment. I play to experience:

  • The joy of the precise controls of Mario.
  • The drama of Nathan Drake and friends in the Uncharted series.
  • The pure awe and wonder of the worlds explored in Guardians of the Galaxy.

I play to experience time periods and places I will never travel to; I play to experience storytelling and gameplay that comes together in a way that transcends a controller. Video games are an escape for me. Small moments in time where I can be a cowboy, a futuristic mail carrier, or even a pirate. What video games are not is work.

Logging into Clash Royale to finish the daily tasks, I wonder if I am still having fun. Or if playing the game has simply become an obligation.

When a game becomes work, when it isn’t fun anymore, why play?

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