This article requires a #nsfw tag. You can't start reading this and finish without costing your boss $50 or more. I'll read it at home tonight. :P #timrogers
BTW Tim, you should really think about writing books.
I enjoy the stream of consciousness style, because though it is that, there's usually a reason for your tangents and the like.
It's refreshing to read something like this, that provokes quite a bit of introspection from the reader. Something that's quite often missing in modern societal critiques. #timrogers
I don't quite understand all the positive comments to this hodge-podge of cultural reflections. Kotaku is a publication, if I may use the term, that I've come to respect. I read it every day. I like the that Kotaku has expanded to features, since there is no reason it shouldn't contain articles as well as news. But this piece is simply a raw, loud rant filled with rhetorical questions. These questions are directed at me, but I feel as though I must turn around, and look for someone else behind me that they are actually meant to address. Someone scowling with clenched teeth.
Perhaps I wasn't meant to see this, perhaps its a banner to be hoist up by some sub-culture I don't have a clear picture of. But then I'd suggest it not be posted on Kotaku, because it assumes too much. I'd rather read the same reflections in a more formal composition which makes accommodations for the audience of this blog, which I believe to very broad. #timrogers
@Lokno: It's only once a month, and nobody forces you to read it. If anything, it inspired you to write an artful post, yourself. You should thank tim for that, at least.
I can't comment on that. Me and Snake are about to go get ice cream then see a movie and then have lengthy yet rewarding philosophical discussions on how war has changed. #timrogers
I dunno if you'll see this Tim, or 108, as I've known you from the years on insertcredit.com, it's forums and it's IRC chat. I've always appreciated your particular brand of writing. You manage to reward literacy by painting a more vivid picture with your thoughts and feelings in a particular subject.
Many people might mistake you writing so much about your personal life as being a bit ego-centric(who isn't a little bit at least) but don't understand it as setting a frame of reference. A place to identify with your feelings and the occurrences that brought you to why you were feeling it. People who are normally into reading a blog-only format of writing, might not recognize it as the literary tool it is.
You and Mike Fahey end up bringing me to this site more than any other conglomeration of news. That's mostly because you put a human element into what most people want to digest quickly. You, for analyzing your feelings about a particular subject and Mike for making it seem like he's honestly excited about his writing job.
Anyway, thanks for this and your articles in GAMEStm. #timrogers
@OpressiveStink: Fahey is Kotaku to me in many ways.....I'll admit it. Though Ashcraft's so-mundane-they're-wacky stories about his life (resident alien papers, anyone?) add something unmistakable and inimitable about the site as well. Crecente has the hair. #timrogers
I'm proud of myself for reading it all! Interesting commentary and insight, particularly on "copycat culture." You do see it in Western culture a bit too (i.e. the constant back-and-forth between Dreamworks and Pixar). #timrogers
Does Jamie Lee Curtis at least have Kleinfelter's Syndrome (XXY chromosomal disorder)? That was my understanding, and I can see how that could morph into an urban legend about being born a hermaphrodite. Or is she just a normal, incredible woman? #timrogers
@CowPieSoup: XX is female, XY male. Klinefelter's Syndrome describes a condition where an individual, according to Wikipedia, a male, has an extra X chromosome. In my defense, it was a high school biology teacher who told me the JLC story. And JLC is plenty attractive. I mean, she's no Joan Cusack, but who is? #timrogers
@(zombie) buddhathing: Yeah, I am aware of XY and XX, but it is impossible to have both female and male genetailia just due to the fact that you have Kleinfelter's. #timrogers
@CowPieSoup: I never claimed that, just that some could confuse the two. I hadn't thought of JLC and Klinefelter's in 20 years before reading the above article, and I had managed never to hear the hermaphrodite claim. And I misinterpreted 'XXY indicates male' to be a statement about 'normal' human genetics, when apparently you were commenting on Klinefelter's being a condition exclusive to males. And I was really not trying to pick a quarrel, just misapprehended the first part of your reply.
Next thing, you'll tell me Geddy Lee doesn't have YYZ chromosomal disorder, causing his high voice and Ayn Rand obsession. Man, high school was useless. #timrogers
Well, great. I've spent probably a good four hours, reading this, off and on, if you include watching Tetris until your eyeballs start to dry out because how can you watch that and blink, and also playing Canabalt.
It was a bit depressing thinking how like real relationships dating sims are, how 'falling in love' can be a bit like that co-worker's cigarette break, how saying "I love you" to a real human can be as nauseous as saying the same to a video game. And yet I've also had love that was like a pure Tetris love, a Super Mario love, at least for a while, before we too started adding stuff to it, maybe things that had worked or not failed for others.
OK, no more Canabalt. Seriously.
Edit: I was at work when I started the article, got through about two thirds before heading home, but spent a lot of time on the phone. It definitely got me through some dead time at work in a thoughtful manner. And I played Canabalt for nearly an hour. I was not claiming the article actually would take anything close to four hours to read.
@NiceMissMayonnaise: I realized something weird since yesterday. I did know about the space bar paging down through web pages, and used to use it all the time, but scroll wheels have been pretty standard on mice (mouses?) for so long that I had forgotten completely and I mean com. plete. ly. #timrogers
Oh, Mr. Rogers. Once again a lengthy article written by you has made me question everything I know about the world and how it relates to my life choices. Incidentally, I just bought a one-way ticket to Japan today!
Also, it saddens me to see how many people complain about the length of these articles without actually reading it (particularly the phrase, "tl;dr".) It seems that in today's world of text messaging and "social networking services," most people have had their attention spans cut to the point that if something doesn't completely fit within their screen, it might as well not exist at all.
Anyway, I loved the article. Games can be great friends at times, (although i'll admit that typing that last sentence makes me a bit depressed,) especially since most of my real (and i'm using this next word very lightly) friends are so devoid of any actual intelligence or thought to be able to satisfy my desire for an actual conversation that doesn't devolve into finding the next great way to kill yourself in Grand Theft Auto.
As for games that pretend to be your friend, I, a video game store worker, cringe and die a little inside whenever i sell a game entitled Imagine: Blank or My Blankety Blank (Ubisoft being a MAJOR offender here.) I don't know how much longer I can do that job while keeping my relative sanity, especially with the holiday rush coming soon. *shudder*
@nipsen: I don't think I ever said that I ruled out books. In fact, I encouraged reading. But in this case, I was talking about games, as in the topic, "can videogames be our friends?" #timrogers
"I said "I love you" to my Nintendo DS. (In Japanese: "a-i-shi-te-ru".) My god; I shuddered. That was the first god damn time I ever said those words to anyone, real or not. The sickening implications of this — the causes, the effects, the explanations — made me suddenly dizzy."
[/QUOTE]
you're a dork and I stopped reading after this paragraph.
I feel bad for you if you've never loved someone. Sorry Tim, but its sad dude. #timrogers
@notquitedeadyet:
..there are also people who despise anything that has been viciously violated by "larger than life" narratives. And can't make themselves end up in real situations that resemble those pre-eaten scenarios.
Here's how my latest attempt went:
"Do you love me?". She asked, just like that. Apparently the moment was right, or something. And I said: "I don't know. Being around you makes me feel both happy and sad. Happy for [insert boring details about personal life] and sad about [insert her horrible pains about personal life]. But you make me feel, and I care for you a lot.
So basically - I understood then that 1. I had not thought about what I really meant by "love". And 2. that neither had she, but nevertheless though using the word was great and meaningful. And I hated her for that. #timrogers
@tim rogers: thanks for the offer to summarize you thoughts for me Tim. Unfortunately, I'll have to pass.
no, never saying "I love you" doesn't mean you've never loved someone. Just that you're either too scared or too immature to put yourself out there and risk being hurt.
also, if you want to use films as a basis on how to live your own life, well, more power to you. Just remember, almost all romantic comedy's end in a similar way.....with the guy overcoming his (usually self imposed) obstacles and winning over the girl.
Love can suck, but it can also be amazing. Sometimes in the same evening. That's life as a grown adult I'm afraid.
You're probably a nice guy, and I'm sure that we'd get along for a beer at the pub. It just came off as immature and seemed to re-enforce so many stereo types of the gamer guy, scared to open up to a girl.
You got hurt sometime in the past? Join the club. Youre not unique or special in that regard. Learn from past experiences and apply the lessons to your future.
and for myself at least, after going through a very near-death experience, I've tried to make it a point to tell someone I care about jsut how I feel every day of my life.
I'm not a perfect example, but there has to be a happy medium, and those words should never be forced. #timrogers
In a way Love Plus seems like the offspring of the aforementioned "Get Girl" games and alternate reality games such as Animal Crossing. Making us believe the game world is not static, that it still continues to exist without our presence, that time continues to flow even after hitting the power switch, is a very very powerful tool to involve us emotionally.
Time in games could be an interesting topic for a future column. Shenmue (Let's meet tomorrow at 4 pm), Oblivion (we are in a hurry but... yeah.. not really), MGS3 (The End is pretty old isn't he?) and more (time manipulation games such a Braid, Blinx and now the new Rachet & Clank) could be worked in...
11/04/09
Great article tim. I hope you find some love to go with your money. #timrogers
11/04/09
11/03/09
Video games are our friends: They keep us company when we're bored, they make us laugh, cry and smile, and they'll always be there for us. #timrogers
11/03/09
I enjoy the stream of consciousness style, because though it is that, there's usually a reason for your tangents and the like.
It's refreshing to read something like this, that provokes quite a bit of introspection from the reader. Something that's quite often missing in modern societal critiques. #timrogers
11/03/09
Perhaps I wasn't meant to see this, perhaps its a banner to be hoist up by some sub-culture I don't have a clear picture of. But then I'd suggest it not be posted on Kotaku, because it assumes too much. I'd rather read the same reflections in a more formal composition which makes accommodations for the audience of this blog, which I believe to very broad. #timrogers
11/04/09
Sorry to barge in on your rhetoric. #timrogers
11/04/09
11/05/09
11/03/09
11/05/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
Many people might mistake you writing so much about your personal life as being a bit ego-centric(who isn't a little bit at least) but don't understand it as setting a frame of reference. A place to identify with your feelings and the occurrences that brought you to why you were feeling it. People who are normally into reading a blog-only format of writing, might not recognize it as the literary tool it is.
You and Mike Fahey end up bringing me to this site more than any other conglomeration of news. That's mostly because you put a human element into what most people want to digest quickly. You, for analyzing your feelings about a particular subject and Mike for making it seem like he's honestly excited about his writing job.
Anyway, thanks for this and your articles in GAMEStm. #timrogers
11/04/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
@CowPieSoup: I never claimed that, just that some could confuse the two. I hadn't thought of JLC and Klinefelter's in 20 years before reading the above article, and I had managed never to hear the hermaphrodite claim. And I misinterpreted 'XXY indicates male' to be a statement about 'normal' human genetics, when apparently you were commenting on Klinefelter's being a condition exclusive to males. And I was really not trying to pick a quarrel, just misapprehended the first part of your reply.
Next thing, you'll tell me Geddy Lee doesn't have YYZ chromosomal disorder, causing his high voice and Ayn Rand obsession. Man, high school was useless. #timrogers
11/02/09
It was a bit depressing thinking how like real relationships dating sims are, how 'falling in love' can be a bit like that co-worker's cigarette break, how saying "I love you" to a real human can be as nauseous as saying the same to a video game. And yet I've also had love that was like a pure Tetris love, a Super Mario love, at least for a while, before we too started adding stuff to it, maybe things that had worked or not failed for others.
OK, no more Canabalt. Seriously.
Edit: I was at work when I started the article, got through about two thirds before heading home, but spent a lot of time on the phone. It definitely got me through some dead time at work in a thoughtful manner. And I played Canabalt for nearly an hour. I was not claiming the article actually would take anything close to four hours to read.
11/02/09
It took me 38 spacebars just to get to this textbox! 38 Spacebars!
I mean, I'll read it and all (like I always do), but man, THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT IIIIIIIIISSS LOOOOOOOONG. :O #timrogers
11/02/09
@(Starman) Alpha: I totally didn't know the space bar did that. #timrogers
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/02/09
Also, it saddens me to see how many people complain about the length of these articles without actually reading it (particularly the phrase, "tl;dr".) It seems that in today's world of text messaging and "social networking services," most people have had their attention spans cut to the point that if something doesn't completely fit within their screen, it might as well not exist at all.
Anyway, I loved the article. Games can be great friends at times, (although i'll admit that typing that last sentence makes me a bit depressed,) especially since most of my real (and i'm using this next word very lightly) friends are so devoid of any actual intelligence or thought to be able to satisfy my desire for an actual conversation that doesn't devolve into finding the next great way to kill yourself in Grand Theft Auto.
As for games that pretend to be your friend, I, a video game store worker, cringe and die a little inside whenever i sell a game entitled Imagine: Blank or My Blankety Blank (Ubisoft being a MAJOR offender here.) I don't know how much longer I can do that job while keeping my relative sanity, especially with the holiday rush coming soon. *shudder*
11/03/09
..yeah. It's called "books". Novels, even. They have graphical novels with actual stories in them, too, nowadays.
And it's entirely allowed to enjoy these, instead of having to find a replacement for that escapism in tetris or GTA4, I mean.. #timrogers
11/03/09
11/02/09
"I said "I love you" to my Nintendo DS. (In Japanese: "a-i-shi-te-ru".) My god; I shuddered. That was the first god damn time I ever said those words to anyone, real or not. The sickening implications of this — the causes, the effects, the explanations — made me suddenly dizzy."
[/QUOTE]
you're a dork and I stopped reading after this paragraph.
I feel bad for you if you've never loved someone. Sorry Tim, but its sad dude. #timrogers
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/03/09
..there are also people who despise anything that has been viciously violated by "larger than life" narratives. And can't make themselves end up in real situations that resemble those pre-eaten scenarios.
Here's how my latest attempt went:
"Do you love me?". She asked, just like that. Apparently the moment was right, or something. And I said: "I don't know. Being around you makes me feel both happy and sad. Happy for [insert boring details about personal life] and sad about [insert her horrible pains about personal life]. But you make me feel, and I care for you a lot.
So basically - I understood then that 1. I had not thought about what I really meant by "love". And 2. that neither had she, but nevertheless though using the word was great and meaningful. And I hated her for that. #timrogers
11/04/09
i could think of a couple hundred films containing similar scenarios to summarize for you, if you'd like. #timrogers
11/04/09
no, never saying "I love you" doesn't mean you've never loved someone. Just that you're either too scared or too immature to put yourself out there and risk being hurt.
also, if you want to use films as a basis on how to live your own life, well, more power to you. Just remember, almost all romantic comedy's end in a similar way.....with the guy overcoming his (usually self imposed) obstacles and winning over the girl.
Love can suck, but it can also be amazing. Sometimes in the same evening. That's life as a grown adult I'm afraid.
You're probably a nice guy, and I'm sure that we'd get along for a beer at the pub. It just came off as immature and seemed to re-enforce so many stereo types of the gamer guy, scared to open up to a girl.
You got hurt sometime in the past? Join the club. Youre not unique or special in that regard. Learn from past experiences and apply the lessons to your future.
and for myself at least, after going through a very near-death experience, I've tried to make it a point to tell someone I care about jsut how I feel every day of my life.
I'm not a perfect example, but there has to be a happy medium, and those words should never be forced. #timrogers
11/02/09
Time in games could be an interesting topic for a future column. Shenmue (Let's meet tomorrow at 4 pm), Oblivion (we are in a hurry but... yeah.. not really), MGS3 (The End is pretty old isn't he?) and more (time manipulation games such a Braid, Blinx and now the new Rachet & Clank) could be worked in...