Shallow Depths

I have an article up on Screen Play today. It was fun to write, and looks at playing games with my parents.

There always seem to be more layers to uncover where family is concerned. There is another half to the story. It involved me becoming traumatised, and I haven't played Uncharted since for fear of association. Shame really, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the beginning.

But I'm sure no one wants to hear the details of my Mum's knack for pushing buttons, or the kinds of things that can happen when I'm hormonally unbalanced.

Such is life, and it doesn't invalidate anything I wrote in that article. And when I say I'll take any victories I can find, I really mean it.

This week I review something far less serious -- rhythm platform game  Maestro! Jump in Music.

I wrote about silliness, which is like another world to me right now.  I'm in a serious mood.  It's my birthday on Saturday, and that usually makes me withdrawn.  Getting older is inevitable and not particularly sad, but I associate my birthday with a lot of memories, and often spend it indulging in melancholy.

I hear a lot of people lamenting how much less time they have to play games these days. I suppose I'm one of the lucky ones, being almost 29 and having more play time than ever.

Actually, I'm not lucky at all.  I make very deliberate lifestyle decisions.   Not having kids is particularly helpful for maintaining my free time, admittedly.  If I ever decide to go down that path I will have to re-evaluate my choices again, but that's true of any major commitment.  Essentially, I've chosen to leave some time for games rather than taking on more things.  Not watching television and living very close to my work also help a lot.

When I still lived with my parents games were a bit of a luxury. Then as a university student I simply didn't have time to play many games. Anyone who just looks at the contact hours on a course and thinks uni students are slackers has absolutely no idea.

As a full time worker though, I have money to spend on games and the time outside work is actually my own.  I do have plenty of other things to fit in, but working has freed my life considerably. Everything I commit to now is a choice rather than a chore.  It's the only phase of my life where I've been able to play games without feeling guilty about it.

And maybe that means I'm living my life backwards. I grew up with a concept of what it meant to be "responsible", and having a list of things I "had" to achieve. Then I realised how much of that was false, and I could live pretty much however I wanted. It's been a lot more satisfying than trying to please everyone and prove to the world how smart and dedicated I am.

Oh yes, how dare I live for my own satisfaction?  If I must shouldn't it be as part of the race to constantly work more, do more, want more?  Games are my major indulgence, and not a very expensive one comparatively.  They let me get by on a rather simple lifestyle (by the standards of this rich, Western society anyway).

I'm very aware of the things I'm missing out on, and that I can choose to go after them at any time.  I wonder how many people can say the same?

I've reached the point now where I don't actually want any more time for games. There's a healthy balance to be maintained, and other things I also want to spend my time on.  Instead, my problem is wanting to get through everything and it not being possible. I am always trying to make a dint in the pile of unfinished games, but it's a losing battle. Ultimately, I end up with exactly the same problem as the people without a lot of time for playing games.

Tax-time sales really don't help matters. My best finds this year were $5 Chinatown Wars, and a half-price Collector's Edition of Bioshock 2. I'm sure they will be fun... when I get around to them.

Having all those unfinished games on the shelf isn't completely terrible. There's enough diversity to satisfy different moods, and I'm unlikely to get bored any time soon. It does feel horribly decadent though.

This whole post has been a bit decadent.  It's also quite defensive.  Gaming is a hobby I find myself needing to defend sometimes.  It has always surprised me that people can watch as much or more television without anyone batting an eyelid, but as soon as it's games people worry and look at me sideways.

As someone who no longer watches television, non-interactive media have become slightly strange to me.  I'll still watch video sometimes, but games have become more natural to me.  I wonder about the impact of sitting passively while ideas filter through you, instead of being forced to have some agency and consider what is being presented.

Even if I were in the majority I wouldn't tell other people how to live though.  I can only make decisions for myself.  All I really hope for is the same courtesy.

If there's one thing that annoys me more than fishing mini-games, it's game mechanics based on real-time instead of game-time.

Having worked through at least some of my Monster Hunter Tri obsession, I returned to Nier this week. Of course, my carefully laid out plants had withered and died while I was away. There is no real need for this. Nothing else in game changes while it's turned off. No one dies because I'm not there to save them, and no one gets annoyed when I leave their errands incomplete for weeks or months. It doesn't really make sense for just one element of a simulation to keep going while the simulation is turned off. It's just a cheap trick to keep me playing, and I don't appreciate it.

I enjoy games, and I hope they can enrich life. But I don't want them to dictate to me how I should spend my time. As someone who often flits between a few games at a time, I don't understand why I should be punished for my preferred gaming behaviour.

Plants in Nier are, thankfully, a minor part of a larger whole. I'm giving up on farming for the moment and focusing on the game elements I do enjoy.

A friend of mine described far worse experiences with Animal Crossing, where events change with the system clock, and the game's inhabitants will get annoyed if you fail to switch on and let them visit at 4 pm next Tuesday, or etc. I know those kinds of games can be addictive, but that's just getting ridiculous. It feels like design decisions based on incorrect stereotypes. Something like (1) Gamers are all kids; (2) Kids have no responsibilities, so can spend all day playing Animal Crossing. Or maybe it's something about getting people so hooked they won't bother giving money to your competitors.

There is no way of escaping the passage of real-time in MMOs, thanks to their community of actual people. My days of weekly WoW raiding and the time preparing for those made juggling committments challenging. More casual play was certainly possible, but I most enjoyed keeping on top of the game as best I could, and helping run a guild. At the time, I was happy to make that choice, despite sacrifices in other areas of life. But it wasn't a decision made lightly, and it certainly isn't an option available to everyone. It's inexplicable to me why anyone would want to replicate that committment in games where it isn't required.

Monster Hunter Tri has been interfering with my writing, my work, my personal hygiene... okay, maybe not quite that extreme.  There is a point, though, where games become something like obsession for me.  I think it's always been that way.

As a kid, I grew up without a console in the house, and we didn't get our first PC until I was in high school.  But I have a good memories of visting and playing Sonic the Hedgehog with my neighbours and sister.  We did get obsessive about it, as was pretty much required to finish games then.  I lacked experience, and so spent a lot of time watching rather than playing.  But I remained very much involved.

We sat for many hours, engrossed and determined to progress in spite of the lack of save files.  If you watched us you may have considered us zombies, with our eyes unhealthily glued to the screen.

We approached everything with that same level of persistence, though.  On another week you might have found as equally engrossed in bike riding, or tree-climbing contests.  It's easy to over-react if lacking broader context.

I have access to many games now, compared to about three games we had to choose from then.  This might increase the risk of obsession, but really I find it's a rare game that really tempts me to those extremes.  I know from experience these phases do pass, and balance is restored to life.

As I mentioned previously, I haven't played a Sims game in many years. Things have apparently increased in complexity since I played the original game. Sims 3 has spawned some interesting ideas, and I've been curious to see how different people describe their experiences with the game.


Alice and Kev is an experiment about homelessness in Sims 3, courtesy of games design student Robin Burkinshaw. The blog follows the lives of the angry and meanspirited Kev and his insecure daughter Alice.

From the introduction:

I created two Sims, moved them in to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, and then attempted to help them survive without taking any of the game's unrealistically easy cash routes.

Homelessness can be a touchy subject, and the first thing I thought of when starting to write about this was Peter C. Hayward, who recently spent a month in Melbourne pretending to be homeless. I believe this was intended as a life experience, as well as raising money for StreetSmart Australia. There is at least some good in raising money for a worthy cause. But I, along with many others, considered it an inappropriate stunt.

Burkinshaw and Hayward are both exploring homelessness in a very artificial way. While Hayward has prompted a lot of venom on the Internet, the reactions I've seen to Alice and Kev have been far more positive. As someone interested in the potential of games to make people think about their lives, I am tempted to say that's because virtual spaces are a much safer and more appropriate for this kind of experiment. They cannnot truly represent the reality of homelessness, but I doubt anyone expects them to. That doesn't have to make the exploration entirely worthless. But, I am also aware I'm examining this through privileged eyes.

That people can genuinely feel for the plight of virtual people is fascinating to see. There are a range of charities linked from the blog, and I can hope that the project can translate into wanting to do some good in the real world.



The Sims, while a simplified model of reality, can make us think about real life in new ways – either by teaching genuine lessons, or by making us think about where the limitations of the simulation are, and how real life might differ. I've recently enjoyed some posts on freakrevolution.com which explore these ideas.

Everything I need to know I learned from tiny pretend people discusses several lessons that arose with a mother playing The Sims with her son. It demonstrates a simple but genuine intersection between virtual experiences and life. More recently, The Sims 3 is corrupting our children (and us) describes the simulation failing to live up to the author's view of what makes people happy. It's not nearly as negative as the title makes it sound! The important thing, I think, is that even when the message a game seems to be sending doesn't quite sit right, there may be value in being prompted to think about it.

I'm not very happy with game retailers and companies right now. It's unfortunate that being a gamer often comes with its share of technical problems, and poor customer service or support.

I was vaguely considering purchasing Assassin's Creed 2 once the price drops. I found the first game was almost very good... the open world felt very different and had a lot of potential. I liked being able to run freely across rooftops, and once I stopped wishing for a new-generation version of Thief, and just accepted it wasn't really about being stealthy, I had some fun with it. But, like many people, the repetitive missions spoilt the experience for me. I gather the second game at least made some effort to listen to the criticisms, though, so I have some hopes for it.

Although I wasn't looking at the PC version of Assassin's Creed 2, I don't feel right about the purchase while they are still utilising such problematic DRM, so I probably won't be playing this game. To me, that's a lack of respect for legitimate customers for no real benefit.

Mind you, I'm not sure other companies are doing much right, either.

I approve of companies providing incentives to buy their games legitimately, rather than including restrictive DRM. When I signed up to get my bonus DLC for Dragon Age: Origins (PC) I successfully navigated the poorly set out webpages, and eventually worked out how to install my bonus content. In the process I apparently gave them permission to start collecting data on me while I play, even when I have the usual online profile option turned off. So I get annoying errors in game whenever my net connection gets fussy, and whatever it is doing is rather good at making my router grumpy.

A bit of transparency would have been appreciated, EA.

Things have been even worse when it comes to Mass Effect 2. My "Cerberus network" DLC activation code was missing from the game box, though I've since been able to get a replacement code from the retailer. Unfortunately, my Mass Effect 2 registration has completely disappeared from my EA online account, and it won't recognise any codes from me. I'm still waiting on a response from customer support.

Somehow I'm doubting this extra content will be worth the trouble, if I do ever get to see it.

***

I have a confession to make... I went to an EB Games store yesterday. I don't shop there as a general rule, but in this case they were the only place to have the game I was looking for, and my impatience got the better of me. It was a slightly scary experience, actually. They had voice-overs advertising their wonderful deals... such as trading in a working white Wii console plus $200 to get a new black Wii console. I have to admire them in a freaked out sort of way.

At the counter I was told about their 7-day return policy, and that I could pay an extra $3 for a 12-month warranty. Now, I understand the logic of extended warranties on more expensive purchases, but the idea of one on a game is new to me. Again, I sort of have to admire their scary marketing strategies. It might actually work on some clueless parents buying games for their kids.

I wonder what that $3 actually gets you... Does it just cover faults, or can you replace discs scratched from general wear and tear? I wish I'd been listening more carefully and willing to ask questions. If it were a 12-month no-questions-asked return policy it might be very exploitable, but I doubt that's the case.

I looked on the EB website and couldn't find any information. Just some info on extended warranties for consoles, and their rather limited warranty on all games:

All games come with a 30 day in store warranty. This warranty however doesn't cover any wear and tear or damage to the discs. If the disc isn't working and still in perfect condition bring it back to your nearest EB Games store and we will swap it over for you.

I guess it's up to someone who is a better detective than me to actually work out whether this particular scam is true evil or just run-of-the-mill evil.

Also, the guy behind the counter laughed at my World of Warcraft t-shirt. I think being mocked by someone who works at EB games has to be a new kind of low :(

Edit:  EA support finally sorted out my issues.  It took a couple of days, but at least some such stories have happy endings.

Recently I went to a birthday party for my former Word of Warcraft guild leader. The party was interesting. I'd met him in person before, but not often. I felt old to be attending an 18th, but not to worry. There were a great many WoW-related presents, as you might expect. Singing Happy Birthday was also appended with "For the Horde!". I feel this improves it greatly. Gaming takes you to some unexpected places sometimes.

My name "Cha" was originally taken from my Warcraft character Cha'kwaina (Tauren Shaman). Meeting someone's mother who also wanted to call me Cha was unexpected, but appreciated. I never really considered the community I might encounter when I started gaming online, and in the end I found a kind of family. I moved away from WoW, but won't forget the connections I made.

On the way to the party we picked up a copy of MadWorld. The guy behind the counter asked if it was for me or my partner, and when I said both of us he seemed to consider finding a "girl who likes to kill" a good deal. I decided to take this as a compliment, despite being rather archaic. I forget that my habits are not completely normal until someone points it out to me.