Amazing People Worthy of Respect Not Mockery

The next time I find myself tempted to mock George Lucas over my dislike of Jar Jar Binks, or who shot first, I’m going to remind myself that this is a man worthy of my respect. He cares enough about children to push a lot of his fortune into his own charity and now into educational charities to come. He has transformed my love for his work, and the dollars I’ve spent accordingly, into charitable works. It is pretty eye-opening.

I’ll bet a lot of children went SQUEEEE! over this picture

My friends’ kids love Jar Jar Binks, so in that area, he hit the mark on making a character that their generation can relate to. And maybe that is what a lot of the decisions that we callously mock were all about. Han didn’t shoot first, that wouldn’t make him a very good role model for my friends’ children. It makes me take a look at the first 3 epidsodes with different eyes. Maybe if I watch them with the same child-like wonder I felt when seeing the original movies, rather than my more jaded grown up eyes, I’ll be able to better appreciate them.

I saw so many people with young children express their joy over being able to take their kids to see a new Star Wars trilogy, just like they remember being taken by their parents. And really, that is what it is all about. With eyes toward the future and respect in my heart, I’m super excited for whatever Disney does with our beloved galaxy far far away. And yeah, I am super excited for the goosebumps I know I’ll get when I read the scroll of a new saga on the big screen in 2015.

It is a big wake up call to myself. When we use our words selfishly and without a broad perspective, we may end up regretting them sometime later when we realize how shallow and shortsighted we’ve been. So feel free to kick me in the proverbial butt if you see me talking smack in the future.

Read Full Post »

Gaming is Not A Long-term Commitment

I’ve come to a realization recently that I am an old-fashioned gamer. Not the tasty cocktail or ice-cream sundae kind of Old-Fashioned either, but the stodgy get-these-kids-off-my-lawn kind. I’ve been watching people game-hop and finding myself annoyed at those pesky kids and their wanton gaming ways. And then it hit me, we’re talking about games here. Yep folks, I have fallen into the trap of equating fun, leisure activities with real world morality and considerate behavior. Ouch, what have I been thinking and where did it all start?!

Granted, the games I care most about are highly social MMOs that rely heavily on groups and people working together in teams. But when did I start thinking that these games required some kind of long-term commitment or monogamy from me and everyone else I know who plays them? When did I start having this sense of superiority or being the adult in the room for sticking to my guns and staying faithful? It has been subtle and built up over time, especially by my own desire to support guilds and communities, but it is unrealistic and silly to expect long-term commitment from people playing games.

So all of you free-spirited early-adopters, you mavericks willing to put up with bugs, lag, growing pains, and all the other bumps in the road to experience the new hotness, I salute you! Maybe I’ll even get up the gumption to get out of my rocker, off the porch, and join you in a few of them. Then again, I expect you’ll be miles ahead of me, running free in the wind to the next new thing by the time I get there.

Maybe there is a bit of Rift in my near future

Let’s face it folks, even MMOs can only hold our attention for so long before we start to get restless and bored. And there are always new (or old-familiar) vistas to experience.

It will mean a pretty serious paradigm shift for me though. I’m not a dabbler, but in order to play a lot of different games, I think I need to dabble more and end-game less. This means giving up crafting and being pretty penniless. I think I can live with that if I’m not trying to support the raiding habit. It means spending time on walkabout again. I’ve done that in the past, headed off in a direction and just travelled as far the game map would let me. Maybe with enough variety I will even keep myself from getting too stir-crazy over repetitive mechanics or behavior. Whew, I’m getting tired just thinking about it, think I’ll go back and take a little ol’ fashioned nap first.

Read Full Post »

Non Gaming Related Tribute

I don’t have kids and at this stage in life the chances are pretty slim. One thing I do regret is not seeing my husband be a dad. He is pretty cute with my nieces and nephews and tends to be one of those favorite uncles.

My parents have both passed away and I’m usually pretty sad on Mothers and Fathers Day. They found my hobbies a bit odd, but it didn’t stop them from supporting me in them. Sewing cloaks and other costumes, buying dragon figurines, even coming to a big SCA event one year and wandering about among a bunch of costumed strangers trying to find me (succeeding finally after being escorted to our camp by the king).

I remember trying to run away during one of my younger years’ angsty moments. My dad offered to make me a bunch of sandwiches to take along so I didn’t run out of food too soon, asked if I had my toothbrush and some water, hoped I wouldn’t be too uncomfortable sleeping out rough, and wondered if I knew when the next rainstorm was due. By the time he was done “helping” me run away, I had decided that maybe home wasn’t such a bad place after all. I think he’s to blame for my tendency to apply logic to most situations.

Thanks for everything Dad, I miss you!

Read Full Post »

Newbie Blogger Initiative

I know when I decided to start blogging, I felt just a wee bit apprehensive. Hopefully this initiative I read about, on one of the blogs that helped inspire me to start, is useful for anyone thinking about putting themselves out there. Head over to MMOGamerchick’s blog for more info.

Edit:

I should expand this post a bit since I’ve decided to sign up on the sponsor list. As I said, a day late and a dollar short, but best intentions… yeah, you get the picture.

I started blogging nearly a year ago, mainly to familiarize myself with a software program that my work was about to launch for work-related blogs. I was reading quite a few gaming blogs already and decided that I spent enough time gaming to make blogging about it worthwhile.  I found that I enjoyed it, so I kept going. I can’t say I’m a prolific blogger, I know I should blog much more often than I do, but at least I’ve decided to keep trying. I think that is key, don’t set really high goals, just keep at it. Good luck to those of you who have been inspired by this initiative. I hope you have many happy hours of blogging! Visit the NBI Forums for more info. and the list of sponsors. There are quite a few good blogs out there for you to peruse for inspiration.

Read Full Post »

When LFG Means Looking for Guild

When guild chat gets empty, when login notifications become non-existant, when your guild leader doesn’t show up anymore and no one but you visits your guild site; if you plan to stick with a game, it finally becomes time to make a tough decision. Finding the right guild is not always easy. Some people get lucky and find their in-game home quickly while others spend a lot of time guild hopping. I’ve had a mix of both in my time in MMOs, but mostly I’ve been pretty lucky in my guild experiences. But no matter how much you might like a group of people, when they no longer play you either quit along with them, play mostly alone and essentially guildless or you find new people to hang out with who are still active.

I believe a good guild is essential to fully enjoying an MMO. I know it is essential for me. With my guild gone inactive, I’ve been thinking about my play style and what I want from a guild. I’ve been with the same guild through a couple of WoW expansions, playing up to level 50 in Rift, and now playing up to level 50 and through the initial (pre-1.2) end game in SWTOR. They have been a good fit and fun to hang out with, enough so that we’ve tried to stay together through multiple games, but I’ve come to a few realizations after trying to get the guild going, unsuccessfully, in a couple of new MMOs.

The most active members are also heavily end game focused. That worked for us when end game was plentiful and fun, but for new games where end game is pretty sparse or grindy, it hasn’t been enough. I always thought they were enough of a mix of casual and altaholics that end game wasn’t so essential, but I’ve realized lately that I was wrong. There aren’t enough of them willing to find other pursuits while waiting for new end game content to make the guild survive. Most of them didn’t even come back online to try the new operations in patch 1.2. Hardly anyone even said goodbye, which is probably what bothers me the  most and makes me re-think whether relationships were that close with anyone but our guild leader.

What I want in a new guild is a pretty tall order. I need a guild that does end game and is good at it, but remains casual in their approach to end game raiding/operations. They organize ops efficiently, people know what they are doing and work hard toward success, but there is room to play other characters, take time for real life, and laugh while running operations. I want a group with minimal to no guild drama, no loot drama, and fun to chat with while not being overly chatty. One where people visit the website and contribute information or just check in once in a while; Info that is posted contributes toward the success of raids/ops, and we use tools to make organizing them as easy as possible.  Website use is also something my current guild doesn’t do very well. As I’ve been their webmaster for a while, it makes what I do feel pretty silly.

I don’t like a lot of the chat requirements of social guilds, where you must say hello and goodbye all the time, must “gratz” people for every little thing they do, to the point where someone makes a program to just do that for you automatically. Insincerity and forced chatting has always bothered me. I want a nice mix of friendly and genuine joy at people’s success, but not artificially pushed.

While the  guild needs to do end game and be good at it, when end game has been tackled and we’re waiting for new content to be released, the guild doesn’t evaporate. This last part is where my current guild has failed and is probably my hardest requirement. I’ve got a well geared level 50 and a pretty high legacy level, so until we have the option of character transfers, I also need a guild that is on my current server, The Harbinger. I don’t do PVP beyond dabbling, so that limits my options as well. They need to be not too big, not too small, but big enough to try world bosses and other 16 man content.

I’ve been looking, watching general chat, checking out who is online and looking for a healthy population of a guild logged in. I’ve been visiting websites and reading fan sites, hoping to see a guild recruiting that looks good. So far I haven’t found one that I’m willing to approach. Thankfully my husband plays and is still enjoying the game with me, although that complicates the picture a little bit since we both need a guild we can be happy in, and he’s less into end game than I am. Still, I’ll keep looking and keep hoping to find that perfect or nearly perfect fit. And I’ll feel sad at the inevitable loss of contact with the folks I’ve followed around for so long. I feel bad that I’m the only officer who still logs in, when there is the occasional other person online. Once I go, what will they do?  But when you are the only person online most of the time, what else can you do? I need enthusiasm and a sense of fun most of all. The journey must be something we all pursue, not something a few drag the others along to do. So, here I sit, LFG.

Read Full Post »

Geek Just Another Name for Awesome

Today’s idea started with an anguished Facebook post from a friend. Her son was getting teased by kids at school for being a nerd and she was really mad. A kid he had been friends with the prior year had turned on him and the betrayal was very hard on her son. I could sympathize.

I was a brainiac, nerd, teacher’s pet, geek, smart girl in school. I wasn’t one of the popular pretty girls, and at the time it really bugged me. I had friends who suddenly turned on me, excluded me from their circle and were mean for no reason that I could tell. It took a toll on my self esteem. For a while I would have much rather been popular and pretty than smart and creative. I’m really glad that teenage traumas can’t suppress the spirit of imagination. I’m also glad that the popular girls wouldn’t accept me and that my friends were geeks who loved Tolkien, Arthurian legend, fantasy and roleplay.

I think this situation is harder on my friend because she has always been much more interested in conforming to a societal norm. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a talented woman with a strong artistic side, but she’s never been willing to push outside the box as much as I have. Things like SCA, roleplaying games, and other geek pastimes have been too weird for her. She wants her son to be accepted, but I think she’s looking for acceptance for him from the wrong crowd.

Who do you want your kid admiring, someone who wasn’t a popular kid in school but channeled his energies into life-changing technologies like the personal computer, or someone whose goal in life is to take handouts from lobbyists? Is it healthier for someone to have a passion about a non-existent future world where people explore the galaxy or to focus on fitting in with what other people decide is normal? Sure, balance in all things and reality can’t be ignored, but our current world and its norms are pretty grim these days. I’m all for people who fantasize about something different and better so their minds are more open and outward facing. I’d far rather see a kid at home reading a book or playing computer games than walking around with a gun trying to take things from others by force.

I’m excited to see geeks becoming the new cool kids lately. I’d far rather see our upcoming generation emulating people known for imagination, innovation, and interest in the possibilities for our future rather than golf, what they should wear, and how to win friends and influence people. To me, geek is almost synonymous with innovator. It defines someone who takes chances, is willing to be eccentric, has interests in realms of the possible, not just the here and now. We have Star Trek geeks to thank for our cell phones.

I just hope we continue to have kids who make it through the torments of being made fun of for being smart and different, so they can invent some of the other technologies that our favorite Sci Fi books and shows feature. I want geeks and nerds to make a better future for us, not give in to peer pressure and only worry about having perfect hair and saying the right things. Kids, Geek is just another word for Awesome. Don’t let anyone bring you down or make you believe otherwise.

Read Full Post »

Hats Off to Prolific Bloggers

I wanted to write something profound, but I realized that waiting for inspiration on what to talk about was keeping me from posting at all.  I think the longer one goes not writing, the easier it becomes to just ignore the blog.

I have to salute those bloggers who manage to not only write regularly, but keep things fresh and interesting while doing so. For some it is more than a hobby, which I assume means they have more time and more motivation. For others, their passions about the things they do and see drive them despite it being only a hobby. Blogging isn’t something you can force yourself to do, but I wonder if some successful bloggers do have discipline about blogging.

I’ve read a few books, but none that inspired me to discuss them. I’ve played through both versions of Mass Effect, and while I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them, since I’m not fond of shooter games, I wasn’t motivated to blog about them. I will say, if you enjoy a good story but have held off on playing because the games involve targeting and shooting things, try them anyway. The stories and voice acting in the games are gripping. There is plenty of humor if you go chat with Joker and hidden little gems like walking into a room to see the “robot” (Geth) doing the robot dance moves.

I do wonder, is it better to not post very often but make sure that when you do post it is something worth reading? I know I don’t have many who read my blog, but there is some pressure to at least not waste their time.  Posts need to be interesting enough to drive some comments, otherwise you miss the dialogue aspect of a blog.  Despite that, here I am rambling so my desire to not waste time doesn’t keep me from posting at all. It has to be a fine line that regular bloggers walk.

Read Full Post »

Putting yourself “out there”

I’ll admit, I have held off on blogging for a long time. I usually have a lot to say, but rarely think it will be interesting enough to other people that they would read it. But my work is getting more heavily involved with all things social media, so here I am. If I hadn’t needed to become more comfortable with Blog tools, I don’t think I would have made the leap.I hope it is a good ride, not one of those rickety carnival ferris wheels that your mother won’t let you ride.

As you can see from my site image collage, I am a full blown Geek. I’m well past the days of being embarrassed by walking into a grocery store in one costume or another and eliciting stares. But anyone who stumbles across my Blog should be warned. If you stare at people wearing fake ears and scoff or think D&D is for the devil, this is not the Blog for you. If you think shows like Firefly, Farscape, Babylon 5, Earth Above and Beyond, Battlestar Galactica, etc. never got to see their full potential, you might share some common Geek blood with me.  If you are an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, I may have something interesting to talk about.

I kind of hope I’m busy enough in real life that I don’t have time to wax poetic here all the time; however, I do want to keep at this and post regularly. As a favorite quote says “And so it begins.”

Read Full Post »