Confessions of a gamer

These days it´s better to have your private information protected, which makes perfect sense of course. But I can´t help but notice an overkill with security updates. It´s not just your mailbox that needs this, no Xboxlive has been crazy about it as well. Give us your phonenumber, multiple alternative emails adresses.  Of course let me just pull that out of my magic hat! Even if I had all of that then I´m not certain I´d be comfortable giving that information out, but unfortunately you don´t have much of a choice. Because this is forced upon you, sure for the greater good but the fact that you can´t play a game because something needs to have private information from you kind of sucks! Protect your stuff! Well this makes sense, you have something you care about and so you want to protect that. I think that´s why most of us have a pretty good password to keep unwanted guests out of our personal stuff. But for some that´s not enough, no you must have two or three passwords, add som...

We might all have a different taste in music, but I think it´s safe to say that most people like music. So why not combine something you like with something you like to do? I doubt I´m the only one that listens to music when playing games, but I would like to add that I don´t do that in multiplayer because it´s not nice when others have to listen to your music. But you can always unplug your microphone and listen to your music anyway. Personally it helps me focus and it feels good to have some music playing while you do your thing in the game, it makes it look a bit more cool when you kick ass and have your own soundtrack in the back. But it also makes your defeat a bit more tolerable when you have some nice music to listen to. But what if the game has some decent music? Of course I don´t listen to my music when there is good music in the game, especially in games like GTA V and Saints Row IV you have a lot of music to choose from. So there´s usually something that you like and i...

In the good old days when you had some friendly competition on your console playing against a friend, it was fun and if someone was annoying you could smack that person on the back of his or her head. But sometimes things get heated up and frustration, often due to failure, isn´t good for your mental health. I guess some people can handle that better, they really play just for fun and when they lose then it´s not a big problem for them. If you´re more like me then it´s almost the end of the world, you play to win and you really want to win! This type of behaviour is really one of the reasons why I don´t get involved with most competitive games, because it really brings the worst part of me to the surface. Especially when I play with friends I don´t like to be that guy who takes the game too serious, which is often why I either bite my tongue when playing competitive games or I just don´t play them. So you can imagine that things are even more extreme when I play with strangers online, ...

I think in most game videos on youtube you´ll find a discussion in the comment section about how pc games are superior compared to console games. It´s excellent material for trolls to do their thing, but is there some truth in this? If I´m going to be honest then I have to say that pc games probably look better compared to console games, because the pc keeps improving while a console is stuck for several years in what it´s launched with. There aren´t really upgrades for a console, at least not like with a pc. But at the same time that also makes the pc a lot more expensive and it needs more maintenance. So the pc isn´t superior towards consoles, but it will often let you get the most out of your gaming experience. Perhaps for the die hard gamers it´s the only thing they want and thus for them the only one that counts. But I think it´s quite bold to say that consoles are crap compared to the pc. So you don´t need a console, just buy a pc? That´s probably not a smart thing, especially ...

In a lot of games you find a tutorial, so when you play it for the first time you usually go through some lessons how things work in the game. Which is a good thing if it doesn´t take too long and if it´s not boring, unfortunately that´s not always how it goes. Sometimes you have to go through annoying lessons that you don´t really need. It´s nice if people want to tell you how things work but do you really need to spend 15 minutes on that? Better yet, why don´t you just put a little guide in the box with the game and put the controls in there. That way people can decide if they want to learn the controls or just dive in the game. Do games still have a little guide book in the case? It´s actually getting rare to find that these days, some games do have them but other games just leave them out. They prefer to bore you in the game with a tutorial. Then you really have to wonder if it wasn´t better if they just printed that on paper and added that with the game. Sure it´s a bit more wor...

Did you ever notice how a game can influence your mood? Maybe if you had a bad day but then when you play a game and things go well that you feel better, this is just one of many things that can happen when you play games. Games can make you laugh, cry or even cower in fear! It really depends what type of games you play and of course how much effect it has on you. I can´t say that it´s the same for everyone, some people are just different then others. But when you look at certain games then there are usually similiar responses, but the reactions might not always be that extreme. I´ll be talking about some spoilers below so if you see the name of a game and you haven´t finished it yet, then be warned for spoilers! Games that make me laugh are usually the ones with silly characters in it or just games that are funny. Often it´s thanks to the characters and of course the voice actors that bring these characters to life, some of them have such a dynamic with eachother that the funny part...

When you play certain games you sometimes have a choice what your main character is going to be, but then there are also games that have a female main character. If a game has a female main character you choose to play that way, this isn´t something that is considered as weird by a lot of gamers. But when you choose to play as a female instead of a male then there are gamers that would find you weird. I say weird but I don´t think it´s a secret what they really say, let´s just say not something nice! Personally if a guy wants to play as a female character in a game isn´t that his choice? The same counts for girls that want to play as a male character, nobody seems to be troubled by that or maybe people just don´t expect that. Is playing as a female when you´re a male wrong? No I don´t think that this is wrong, because you play a role in a game and it´s not really you. So if you have more fun playing as a female then why not? Some gamers talk about playing as a...

One of the first things I do when I buy a new game and start it up in my console is check the achievements, not that I have any illusion that I´ll get them all but just to see what I can get and what I´ll probably never get. It´s nice if on your first playthrough you get a lot of achievements (or trophies for the Ps 3 gamers), that saves you having to go through the game again from the start if you have the ambition to complete the game. I can´t really say why I want that, maybe it´s just some kind of motivation to keep playing the game or because I just like to complete things. But I don´t think it´s an obsession, when I´m done with a game then I´m done and I don´t keep playing just to perfect it. Unfortunately not everyone seems to think like that, some gamers are quite into completing games and go through a lot to get that done! When does it stop being fun and just becomes an obsession? Well the first time you play it´s fun I think, that´s why I always try to get as many ...

I doubt that it´s news that the economy isn´t doing so well, so you´ll probably want to spend your money wisely. But if you´re a gamer it´s difficult to stop buying new games, especially when you look at all the fun games that are out now or will be launching this year and next year! I´m certain your parents or your partner have reminded you how you should be careful how you spend your money, but it´s difficult to let go of something you love to do and playing the same old games all the time gets old real fast. The new consoles don´t make things easier, because most gamers would probably want to buy one of the new consoles but that´s going to cost you a lot as well. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and as much as you might hate it you´ll have to let go of things you like. I´m not saying that you can´t play any new games or buy new consoles but it probably will mean that you´ll have to be patient, save your money for that and then once you have enough buy it. Some might ca...

When you look at certain sports there comes a time that you quit, because your body just can´t take much more or you´re just not as good as you once were. I´m not saying that gamers are like athletes but I wonder if there is an age when you would stop playing games? As a kid I never really thought much about myself being a middle ages man and still playing games, I don´t think many kids would think about that. But now that I´m at an age where gaming could be considered as a waste of my time and I should be doing something else with my life, I can´t help but think about how it affects others who are also beyond their teenage years. Gaming is only for kids? This is something some people seem to believe, they find it so weird that someone older than 20 is still playing games. As far as I know there is nothing against adults playing games! Some of the games that you get these days are sometimes only for adults, but that doesn´t stop kids from playig it. So why should adults feel ashamed ...

When I look at Saints Row IV and GTA V then there is a big difference, one is about going crazy and the other is for a more realistic game experience. I don´t think I need to explain which game is realistic and which one isn´t! But GTA V isn´t that realistic, I mean you still do crazy things that a ´normal´ person wouldn´t do. A lot of games try to approach a realistic factor but sooner or later put things in the game that helps you remember that it´s just a game, I don´t think I´ve ever played a game and I had trouble seeing what´s real and what´s not. I guess technology isn´t ready for that or are developers deliberately holding back? I guess it´s difficult to make a realistic game when the game is about something that is clearly fiction, like a game about the Turtles couldn´t be too realistic because I doubt you´ll be seeing any big walking and talking turtles on your way to school or work. But what about a game like GTA V? I actually think you could pull it off, but if you make i...

It might sound weird but I like achievement, they´re a good motivator for me to keep me interested in a game. Also there are achievements/trophies that help you discover new things about the game, for example a new skill/trick to help you in the game. Not all achievements/trophies are like that though, some are the typical level up achievements/trophies and others are beat the game at a certain difficulty achievements/trophies. Then you also have the dreaded multiplayer achievements/trophies, I don´t think many people like these type of achievements/trophies because you need others to get these. So when the multiplayer mode in a game is abandoned then you´ll never get the achievement/trophy! But there are more types of achievements/trophies, you also have the weird ones. These achievements/trophies you´d rather not have on your profile or they´re just weird to get. It´s true, I peeked under her skirt! At least that´s what players will think when they see that you got the achievem...

I´ve got a lot to tell about this game but I´d like to first correct something, yesterday I talked about installing games and I mentioned how it sometimes takes a long time. I´ve also said that with all the information you have to install in GTA V that it will take a long time to install that, well I was very wrong! The installation probably took about 15 minutes, so I must admit that I was pleasantly suprised. It´s actually quite simple, on disc 1 it says install this and so you put the disc in your discdrive and the game will automaticly install that portion of the game. Then when that´s done, you´ll get a message to put in disc 2. There will be some loading and then you can play the game. It goes pretty fast and not something that will drive you insane with waiting. So what can you expect in GTA V? Well I won´t give any spoilers, so don´t worry about that. But you´ll find a big city with a lot of places to visit, you can explore the city with whatever character you want. You can p...

In my NES, Super NES and N64 days it was easy to put in a cartridge and you could play. Later with the discs that didn´t really change, well you could get scratches on it and that would mess with the quality and also you game could freeze. So actually installing a game helps you protect your game, it doesn´t get damaged because it´s installed on your harddrive, and it doesn´t freeze that often. So why wouldn´t you like installing games on your harddrive? Well I can´t speak for everyone but I know that for me installing games takes quite some time, that´s time I´d rather spend playing the game instead of looking at a download screen. I guess you do have to be a bit patient for this method, because I doubt you can install games that fast that it´s not bothersome. So installing GTA V is going to take some hours, I know that I´d rather play the game but unfortunately it´s required. Which really sucks, because I´d rather have it so that you choose if you want to install a game or if you w...

I think it´s not a secret when I tell you that GTA V is available tomorrow, I´d even believe it if you´ve pre-ordered it yourself. I have pre-ordered it months ago, so I shouldn´t have a problem to get it. It´s really one of the games I´ve been looking forward to this year and I think I´m not the only one. All the nice trailers really show a great game, especially the multiplayer seems to look like it will entertain you for quite some time. But what if it´s not as great as we all think, what if the game is going to suck? I have to admit that it wouldn´t be the first time, I mean we´ve probably all bought games that didn´t turn out as great as you´d hope they would be. Especially when it´s a game that you´ve been looking forward to, that really hurts if the game can´t live up to the expectation you have of it. When games don´t live up to your expectation then you feel robbed, you feel like you´ve wasted money on something that is clearly not worth the money you spend on it. With some ...

Have you ever been kicked out of a party or team just because the others thought you´re not good enough to play with them? Usually this is based on your level, but some will also kick you if they just don´t like your gamertag or if you´re not that social. Actually I understand it when people kick others if they don´t communicate, it´s a bit harsh but in some games it really pays off to communicate. In team based games, both competitive and cooperative, it´s often important to communicate and help eachother out. But it´s stupid if you kick someone because their level is lower than yours, some people seem to forget that we´ve all had a point that we were new to the game. How are you ever to learn the game if nobody wants to play with you? To dislike someones gamertag isn´t a good reason to kick a player, unless that gamertag is clearly something unacceptable. For example something that could be considered as a racist remark or insulting to some people. Why do people kick other players?...

The best type of relationship for a gamer is when your girlfriend (or boyfriend) also likes gaming. Seems simple, unfortunately not everyone is a big fan of gaming. Then you have people that like gaming but not too much, so for the die hard gamers that might still not be what they´re looking for. But is it that healthy for a relationship when you´re both hardcore gamers? Well I would definately advice that you don´t spend most of your time behind a computer or console, definately also have some other quality time together. Of course it´s cool that you can spend time together what you both like, but never lose yourself in the world of games. Especially when your partner isn´t that interested in games, you don´t want to force something on them that they don´t like. They´ll might play some games, but that´s more for you then for themselves. When your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn´t like gaming, what do you do? First of all you should think if you want to be with someone that doesn´t lik...

Have you ever played a game that made you so angry that you were beyond reason? It didn´t matter what people said or did, you just went berserk and you left a path of destruction behind you. I guess that sounds like a Godzilla movie but really it´s how some gamers express themselves when they´re furious. I think most of us say bad words (to keep it civilized) when we´re annoyed or frustrated about something that happens in a game, if this keeps happening then the frustration builds until you explode in a violent force of destruction. Some gamers are probably smart enough to do something else or just give up, but there are die hard gamers out there that just won´t give up and face defeat so many times that it only makes things worse. Then you really have to ask yourself, is this the smart thing to do? What is so frustrating when playing a game? I don´t think that it always counts for everyone but I think most of us will find it annoying when an opponent doesn´t die even after you shot...

When it comes to competitive games, it´s not unusual to dislike your opponent when he or she keeps beating you. Especially when you´re not that succesful. But there is another side to playing with other people, cooperative gameplay. Here working with others is the key to victory, even if you don´t like another player it´s better to work together than to stand alone. Some games might allow you to survive for a moment alone but most are definately based on sticking together and working together! It really helps if there is some communication, but some games don´t always require that because the game isn´t that complex or it´s quite obvious what needs to be done. But when there is a need for strategy or you want to be helpful then a bit of communication helps a lot! Competitive gameplay and cooperative gameplay, what is more addictive? I think that really depends on the person who plays it, some people just like one more than the other. As much as I like to beat other people and...

When I look at certain game series like Resident Evil, Call of Duty, Fifa and Silent Hill then I can´t help but think that the best that these series have to offer is in the past. Some of these game series have a new game almost every year, is that a good thing or a bad thing? It´s nice that you get to play new games you like that often but how new are these games really? Isn´t it usually just the same thing but with an extra gimmick or better graphics? It really makes you wonder if you want to spend money on that every year, but a lot of people seem to be interested in them and so the cycle continues. Of course die hard fans of these game series will defend the games furiously, their arguments aren´t always that convincing though. Should a game series stop at a certain point or just keep going? As long as the developers have new things to show and find ways to make the game better every year then I don´t really mind seeing more games in the same game series. But often this isn´t rea...

I think we´ve all played a game that showed some weird behaviour, where things happened that probably shouldn´t have happened. This can work to your advantage but it can also work against you. It´s probably better that games don´t contain anything to give an unfair advantage to some people or just make it unplayable for other people. I think that these bugs, glitches and hacks have been in games for almost as long as there have been games. Because as long as you have rules then there will always be people trying to bend or break the rules. Other times games are rushed and not exactly ready to be sold in the current stadium. But money can make people lose their passion and reason why they even got into the game business. So you as a gamer get games that are just not fun to play, for example getting stuck in a wall or having to deal with enemies that don´t die. I´d say that makes it very frustrating to play! Trouble in the game, who do you blame? I think a lot of people like to blame t...