I logged in and updated my games list to represent my recent game-buying spree.  I added the following games:

• Audiosurf (only $2.49 this week on Steam, thanks for the heads up, Xot!)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Commander Keen Complete Pack
• Fable 2
• Gears of War 2

I’ve still got one or two more I want to pick up, and like I’ve mentioned before, a couple others I’m putting on my Christmas list, but I’m really starting to get progressively angrier at game publishers for this mess.  Seriously - I know everyone wants to have big sales for the holidays, but pace yourselves please!  We can’t all go out and buy a dozen games in one month, and many great games are going to suffer from poor sales because of this ridiculous overlap.

Penny Arcade summed it up pretty nicely here.  It’s eerie how similar this comic looks to my Google calender where I’ve marked all the upcoming games I’m interested in.

Oh well.  That’s all for now.  I’m feeling a bit under the weather and I need to recover…  which means less time spent blogging, and more time spent laying on the couch, complaining to my girlfriend, and of course, playing games.  Just gotta make sure I fit some rest in there somewhere!

October is drawing to a close, and I’m questioning the future of my newest project, as far as its status as a YYG Competition #4 entry is concerned.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is not an entirely unexpected outcome - my project was a bit ambitious.  I still want to complete it someday, as I think the game concept is a good one, and I really liked the way the game was turning out.  Unfortunately, with my trips to Vegas and BlizzCon, and lots of my free time being spent with my girlfriend as we search for a place to live together, I’ve not been able to devote the necessary time to Game Maker, and I don’t want to be stuck trying to rush the game out, since it is still going to require a lot of artwork and programming.

Not all is lost, however.

A few days ago I came up with a decent idea for a smaller game, and if I have the time, I’ll throw it together for the competition.

Since only a handful of people got a chance to play the other game, I’ll post a demo here later for anyone who’s interested in trying it out.  It’s nothing more than a driving engine with some simple collisions currently, but as I mentioned, I would like to expand on it eventually.

The whole year of 2008 has been like this for me, actually.  I’ve begun (and continued) many projects, including the site update for Reflect, a new version of the Reflect system itself, a few games, and some paintings;  disappointingly, hardly any of it has gotten finished.  I suspect that much of it has to do with my limited time for personal projects, an issue that’s been troubling me for quite a while now.

I don’t blame most of my day-to-day obligations, however - I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend very much, and I waste a lot of time playing games and surfing the web to wind down, which is absolutely necessary to my continued sanity.

Other things though, like my daily commute, are increasingly annoying to me - I lose almost two and a half hours per day just driving to and from work.  It’s quite frustrating that, as a creative person, I have such sparing time for actually being creative.

Ugh.  I hate that feeling I get when I have a project I’ve worked very hard on, but which I won’t be able to finish for now.  It’s all part of the process, I know, but that doesn’t make it taste any less bitter.

Anyway, I’ll be posting updates on my competition #4 work as (and if) it progresses.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me in my work thus far, and thanks for reading the blog!  I shall find the time to finish some of my projects - it just takes time!

As you’ve probably heard, Apple recently announced a new version of iTunes, iTunes 8.  The new version adds a feature called “Genius,” which is sort of a Pandora’s Box / Last.fm rip-off that recommends more iTunes purchases based on your past iTunes purchases.  The new update also serves to further bloat the iTunes + QuickTime package, to the tune of about 4mb, though I’ll admit I don’t quite remember how big prior iTunes + QuickTime downloads have been.  75mb seems a bit excessive for a music player and a media format I care nothing about, though.

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I’ve tried not to watch any of it, but by chance I caught a bit of the Republican National Convention this evening, while trying to relax after work.  As you’ve probably guessed from the title of this post, I am completely disgusted by the whole thing.

I try to stay away from the topic of politics here for the most part, but the tiny bit of the convention that I happened to see (Mitt Romney’s portion of the show) made my blood boil, and I simply have to say something about it.

During my brief viewing, Mr. Romney continued beating the desperate drum of nationalism and fanning the flames of division and hatred between countrymen.  Over and over, he stated in so many ways that the Republican party is the party of patriotism and love for country, and that to be anything else is anti-American, supporting terrorism, ad nauseum.

I’m tired of this utterly stupid stance.  It’s a pathetic attempt to appeal to your fears of the unknown, and it makes me sick that anyone in any political party would find need to wield this ridiculous argument against his fellow American.

We all want this country to be great.  We all want this to be a good place for our children.  We want the U.S. to be a prosperous country where anyone who’s willing to put in the work can make something for themselves.  That is the “American Dream,” is it not?

To suggest that someone who strives for the same things as you, but by slightly different means, is completely against the U.S. and ideals that drive it is completely insane.  I’m perfectly happy sharing this country with others who have all sorts of different ideas from mine - that’s what makes the world work, after all.  Working together with people who don’t share the same thoughts as me helps me grow as a person, and helps us all accomplish many otherwise impossible goals.  Anyone who has any sort of relationship with other people can recognize that compromise is the corner stone of progress, and yet instead of encouraging people to work together and help maintain unity during these trying times, the Republican party would rather see the nation’s citizens bicker amongst themselves.

Demonizing one party or the other for striving to make this country great in a different way than you accomplishes nothing but create divisions between neighbors, relatives, and friends.  It makes people look upon others with fear, and it prevents people from enjoying life.

Neither party wants bad things to happen to this country.  Neither party is helping terrorists.  Neither party is any more patriotic or “American” (whatever that means) than the other.

Let’s stop this shit once and for all.  Whether you’re liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between the two, I urge you to look past all this superficial patriotism garbage, and look at the real issues.  The people who use this rhetoric are crooked liars, and you are a fool if you fall for it, no matter which party is pushing it at you.

Photo courtesy of Ana Schaeffer

As a gamer, I’m not normally the type to look down upon the gaming habits of others.  Sure, I’ll make the odd quip about “freestyle” DDR players now and then, but generally I don’t give my fellow gamers too much grief for doing whatever it is they choose to do.

This stance has lead me to defend Guitar Hero / Rock Band, games which I have played very minimally, whenever someone brings up the “you should just learn a real instrument” argument.  I’ve even argued this point with my dad, who is an actual musician (he plays bass guitar).  I had an epiphany at a GameStop which changed my views on this slightly, and which makes me wonder about how far the rhythm games can go before they’ve gone too far.  It also makes me wonder if I’m the only person who’s ever had an epiphany at GameStop.

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