September Update - 2013

My last day at work was August 16th.  I immediately went on a multi-day bike ride with my sister, who was in town.  And then, keeping with the family theme, visited with my family over the next couple days.  Finally, the last week of August, I got some time to really enjoy my unemployment.  

I've been blogging my thoughts like a maniac, so you can expect to see an increase in my posting frequency.  I haven't actually spent any time playing video games, which might go to support my theory that I like talking about games more than I like playing them.  I don't mind this much.  It's mostly a timing thing - games take a long time.  Hours and hours, and, despite my unemployment, I find myself to be pretty darn busy.  I'm not bored, that's for sure.  To be fair to games, I haven't really been watching TV, Movies or reading all that much, either.

I also want to point out that I didn't partition very much space to my Windows HD, so I am unable to have many of my steam games installed, especially the big ones (Portal II, Portal).  Which is a bummer, because I love those games.  The obvious solution is to reformat and re-partition my hard drive, which I am avoiding because it takes forever.  But, I may have discovered a workaround for the above problem.  I have installed steam on my janky old apple laptop!  I have a good 60 free gigs on the thing, and a bunch of my steam games work for Mac!  I was pretty thrilled to see this.  Working games include:  VVVVVV, Portal, Braid, Bit.Trip.Runner, Limbo.  Pretty cool, huh?

Of course, now I have a new adventure: seeing what games will actually play on this crappy old thing, and, beyond that, how long they'll play before the computer overheats.  Seriously, this laptop gets so hot, it burns my leg! So it is no longer, functionally, a 'lap' top.  Anyway, further adventures in Steam, hooray!  Next stop:  steam for linux (if I can ever get that to work). 

I did stop by Kongregate to play some flash games, as indicated in my previous post.  Flash games are mostly short-run, so they work better with my current lifestyle.  I've also been on a blogging tear since settling into my unemployment.  I've produced maybe six draft posts this week.  Of course, it remains to be seen if they will see the light of day.  These random, multi-topic posts are the easiest. I like doing them, it's nice to just sort of 'check in' without having to make some sort of point.

The way I begin postings usually goes in one of three ways:  1) I come up with a topic and write a few paragraphs, 2) I come up with a topic and write a few sentences, 3) I come up with a topic and write a few pages.  Then I sit back and let the post ruminate for a couple of days before returning to it.  The first approach is the most reliable- often times the post is nearly fully formed when I finish the initial writing.  The second will sometimes develop into a post, if it's an idea I am inspired by.  The third approach rarely turns into anything coherent.  Sometimes I will chop up a multi-page rant-fest and turn it into a couple different postings, but just as often, the draft sits in perpetuity, never to be finished.  It's not writers block in these cases, it's editors block.

Alright, on to the climbing gym, the bike kitchen, the thrift store, the yoga studio, the laundromat and Hamburger Patties, which is closing on September 2nd  :(


-D

A Nother round of flash games

So, after playing 'I wish I were the moon'  on Kongregate, I got linked to a couple of other interesting games.  One of which I had played a couple years ago, and thought was pretty cool.  That was back before this blog, and really, just when I was getting back into games.  I hadn't really heard of indie games yet, most of my gaming was done over at my friend Zor The Red's house, where we would pair up to play games like Pixel Junk Monsters or God of War II.

Somewhere, during that time, I got into flash games.  I noticed that some of these games had a definite 'artistic' bent, which worked well for the short-form of flash games.  I played some very interesting games on Kongregate, including Looming, The Majesty of Colors, I can Hold my Breath Forever.  When I started using Steam a lot more, and purchasing the Humble Bundles,  I left Kongregate behind.

Well, I'm glad I went back to Kongregate, because now I found a game called 'hero story' by Terry Cavanagh, of VVVVVV and Hexagon fame.   This game is short - very short, but does not disappoint.  In fact, this game addresses a gaming convention that I've been wanting to see challenged for a long time. There's really something to be said for these short-run games and the ability to do one small thing effectively.  I still nurture ambitions of making games of my own, and I find these Flash games inspiring to that goal.

I should also mention that all the games on Kongregate are Free.  I've linked below to some of my favorites; I haven't posted any descriptions, but recommend you have a look at them.  Each of these games presents a strong atmosphere, despite being short-run and simple.

-D  

by Terry Cavenaugh

Heroes Adventure
http://www.kongregate.com/games/TerryCavanagh_B/heros-adventure

Hexagon
http://www.kongregate.com/games/TerryCavanagh_B/hexagon

by Gregory Weir

The Majesty of Colors
http://www.kongregate.com/games/GregoryWeir/the-majesty-of-colors

Looming
http://www.kongregate.com/games/GregoryWeir/looming

by Racter

I can hold my breath forever
http://www.kongregate.com/games/racter/i-can-hold-my-breath-forever

by Daniel Ben

Today I die

http://www.ludomancy.com/games/today.php?lang=en

I wish I were the Moon
http://www.kongregate.com/games/danielben/i-wish-i-were-the-moon

Storyteller
http://www.kongregate.com/games/danielben/storyteller