Mrthnly Urpdrt: Arrgrst!

Today I ran into a young woman at the bank, she was carrying a Legend of Zelda bag.  As I stood in line behind her, I considered saying something, but succumbed to shyness, as I am wont to do.  However, on my way out of the bank, I saw her unlocking her bike, parked a couple spots down from mine, and I decided I would just go for it.  I complimented her on the bag and we proceeded to talk video games for a little while.  She was totally happy to chat, and not in a hurry to escape, as I presumed she would be.  However, as we chatted, I began to feel more and more out of touch and like I really didn't know what I was talking about.  Also, I felt old, as i couldn't reference SNES or NES without her eyes glazing a bit, though she smiled and was very friendly.

Wow.  Dare to dream!

One thing we did talk about was our excitement about the upcoming Zelda Games, and the strength of the Nintendo brand in general.  Once the dominant Video Game company worldwide, Nintendo has been waining slowly for the past decade.  However, they continue to strengthen and revitalize their core games, and with any luck they will be able to thrive into the next decade.   I'll tell you one thing:  I've begun to covet the Wii U.  It's the only console that interests me at all.  Steam and my PC should be able to cover anything I might miss out on from Sony or Microsoft, but Nintendo has carefully guarded their product.  I can't say it's a bad idea.  

On a separate note, a local coffee shop has a subscription to Game Informer magazine, which, it seems to me, is the only print video game magazine left after the departure of EGM and Nintendo Power.  I had originally dismissed it, but after reading a random issue, I found some pretty insightful writing.  Also there was a wide range of topics, from game history, industry talk and independent games.  Seems like a pretty decent mag to stay connected.   Hmm, their website seems entertaining and eclectic.  Mayhaps I will have a look.

This past month I haven't really been playing video games.  It's an affliction I'm struggling with of late, though my latest excuse is that it's just too damned hot.  How hot is it?  Well, let's see, yesterday it was 100 degrees by 12:30pm.  Today will be the ninth day in a row over 100.   In fact, it's so hot that my computer will overheat and shut itself down.  My room cooks in the sun all day, and generally spoils my mood.  Suffice it to say, I've resolved to buy a window air conditioning unit for my room.  

I have, however, been reading a library copy of 'A Feast for Crows' by George RR Martin.  This is my second time through, and my intent is to read it more closely this time.  Previously, I had been sort of obsessed with 'what's going to happen?!' that I skimmed ahead to find out.  Now I'm trying to enjoy the prose and the pacing.  So far, so good!  

-D

Nice podcast on the death of EGM, for those who are interested