Autism and Gaming

            I have noticed that I start a good number of these blogs with “you’ve all heard people say this crap about video games and how they’re bad.” Which is sad, because that means a ton of people are saying why video games suck. That is not fun at all. So once again, I’m going to start with that, and defend the point people attack. This time around, it’s the negative stereotype that playing videogames will hurt people’s abilities to connect and communicate with others. Honestly, this idea is utter bunk, and I will prove it, using the most extreme example I can: Autism. Surprise, games help kids with Autism, and in more ways than one.

            In this article, they discuss how MMO’s can help those with autism in several ways. The first of which being it starts by making you interact with others. Whether it be a raid, dungeon, instance, many of the game modes require you to have other people in your party. These missions are designed to be impossible for someone to solo. So that means you have to find other people to go along with. That means communication. Knowing what we know about autistic individuals, this is not really what their first instinct would be in any situation. Quite the opposite in fact. But these games incentivize communication and team work. While these missions are harder and require a team, they always give better gear and rewards. Not only do these games get the players to work together, it’s also teaching them social skills. As stated in the aforementioned article, “It is believed that if those with communicative disabilities play World of Warcraft on a frequent basis with the support of the community, they can help develop competency in social interaction. It makes sense if you think about it. It allows these individuals to communicate with other people in a nonthreatening situation. Unlike a real life social setting, the ASD individual can choose to walk away at any point. Chances are, they wouldn’t need to, as the threat of other people isn’t a present “danger”. It will help these individuals to become more comfortable interacting with other people. Think of this as a stepping stone. Also, anyone, not just those with Autism Spectrum Disorders, can benefit from online gaming. Socially awkward, or just uncomfortable around people, these things will still apply.

            Other than online gaming, other games are being used to help autistic children. In fact, video games are being developed for the sole purpose of helping autistic children. There is an awesome article on GameSpot (one of the biggest gaming blogs on the wonderful world of the interwebs), on the subject that can be found right here. This game, called Social Clues, was designed by engineering and design students at the University of Southern California. These 35 students say this as a golden opportunity to teach these children social norms and interactions. The game is framed loosely as a detective style game. You choose one of two characters, either communiKATE or particiPETE,  and your toy is missing. You have to interact with NPC (non player character) children to try and locate the toy.  The students behind this game have brilliantly made sure that the kids playing actually have to follow interactional norms to progress. For example, apparently you have to drag the arrow so your character maintains eye contact with whoever you are talking to. Additionally, you have to try and gauge how the NPC’s are feeling based on context and conversational cues. Do you see how awesome this is? If they actually make this game fun, it will teach autistic children how to interact with people, all encased in an activity they will enjoy. It’s pretty brilliant, I think. The article attached has a bit more information on “Social Clues”; I think it is highly worth the read.

            Now that you’ve all had a chance to see some articles on the matter, here are some personal anecdotes. In this blog on Parents.com, one mother lists some of the ways that video games have helped her son. All six of the impacts that gaming have had on her young son are improvements to areas in which he struggled. Of these, she lists communication, hand-eye coordination, concentration, age-appropriate interests, and surprisingly enough, improved his confidence and imagination. You can read all about it right here, and I highly suggest you do. It is really cool to see how one woman has seen her son improve just by playing games.

            Also, most of you probably didn’t know this, but for a year I had an autistic roommate. He had Asperger's and ADHD, among other things, so he was a bit of a handful. It was his first year living away from home, so it was a bit change. He was a great kid with a heart of gold, but not the most functional human being I’ve ever met. It was understandable though, as growing up his mother helped him with damn near everything. Thankfully, we were able to bond over video games, specifically his Xbox 360. If it wasn’t for that beautiful console, I don’t know what I would’ve done. For the most part, I used the Xbox as an incentive. Since there were 3 guys living in a 2 bedroom apartment, I lived in the living room, with my futon serving as the couch. That means to play Xbox, my roommate had to either sit on my futon or the floor. As such, I got to enforce some extra rules to help him along. Sometimes he would forget to shower, so I made the rule that bathing was required before sitting on the futon. He agreed this was a reasonable request, so it helped him get into a routine of showering immediately after work. Other times, I would offer to play co-op with him, if he cleaned his dishes, finished his laundry, etc. It worked wonders. By the time Winter came around, he would clean up more, get his laundry done, make better meals, and was just a more functional person just from using games as an incentive. If it wasn’t for those games, it would have been much harder to teach him.

            I hope this has shown at least some of you how well games can be used to positively impact those with certain disabilities. The key is to use anything in moderation. Too much of a good thing can still be bad. 

Gaming and Careers, but Not the Ones You Would Expect

So we have all heard things like “video games will never get you anywhere”, “games are never going to help you in real life”, or that they are just a monumental waste of time. My stepdad is among those people, though I can’t really fault him on that. But to those people I say poppycock!

            It’s true! Video games are used in the flight industry, medical field, and armed forces on a daily basis! In many cases, it is a requirement for advancement, and continued employment in these fields. You even have to go so far as to pass a certain number of “missions” in these games to obtain certifications necessary in these fields. Still don’t believe me? That could be due to nomenclature. All three of these industries use video games in the form of simulators. For those of you saying “yeah, well that’s different, simulators aren’t games”, I ask how so? Is a virtual simulation not just a fancy video game with a goal in mind? You use a variety of controls in a virtual setting to try and accomplish something, and you have to pass each objective to progress. That sounds an awful lot like videogames to me. So let’s go into a little more detail.

            First field we will look at medicine and the use of simulators for surgeons. To start, it makes sense to have some method of practicing one’s skills, no matter what kind of surgeon you are. Seeing as there are tons of specialties for surgeons, it makes sense that there are just as many types of simulators. This article goes into detail about some of these simulators. Basically, the article goes on to talk about how the introduction of simulators made a huge impact in the training of surgeons. Only having been introduced roughly 15 years ago, things were much different before. Dr. Robert M. Sweet, one doctor helping to create these simulators, went on to state that before the simulations, the only way to learn how to do a procedure was to study out of a book, and watch your mentor perform the surgery. Having grown up with video games, Sweet thought, “well, this could make things a bit easier”. Now doctors can run a close approximation of an upcoming procedure to familiarize themselves without, ya know, having to cut a dude open on their first attempt. Basically, they get a practice run, without fear of causing permanent damage. There is even more info about surgeons and simulators that you can read right here.

            The second field that uses these simulation games is the United States Armed Forces. That’s right, the Army is using video games as part of their training for some units. Think “Ender’s Game”, but without actually going to war with an insectile alien race. In a nutshell, they have games that are like a much more realistic version of Battlefield or Call of Duty, to help train soldiers. With these games, they can run various scenarios that a soldier may encounter in the field. The idea is that by encountering these situations before actually in the field, they will be able to determine the best course of action and how to best respond to whatever situation may arise. They have simulations to learn how to confront various conflicts, as well as other aspects as to how war might affect the soldiers, both on and off the field. In this article, they discuss how they also use these simulators to help veterans cope with PTSD. It also is to help them adapt to life after service, by allowing the veterans to play as social workers, and spouses, to gain a different perspective. Plus, besides just being good for training, having the games on base actually boosts morale. Theres a ton more information to be found right here.

This article talks about two of the simulators used prominently, being Full Spectrum Warrior, and America’s Army, respectively. Not only is America’s Army used as a teaching tool, it was also intended to help with recruiting, by giving civilians a more accurate look what life in the armed services was actually like, rather than basing their judgment on the usual media, like how it is portrayed in movies and on television. It also helps to present the core values of the US Army, such as loyalty, duty, respect, honor, service, and selflessness. The other game, Full Spectrum Warrior, was designed specifically for the US Army. This game is squad based, so rather than just being a soldier on a battlefield, it puts extra emphasis on filling one’s role in a unit, and that the unit is most successful when everyone works together. While they do not focus so much on having the best graphics, this game is substantially more realistic in regards to urban combat, and on actual military tactics. This one is more of a teaching tool than the other.

The last field that regularly uses video games to train probably will not come as a surprise to you, and that is the field of aviation. We have all known about flight simulators for years, and they are incredibly popular commercially, as well as in training pilots. It just makes sense to let someone practice flying virtually than to let them take a multimillion dollar piece of equipment, that if used improperly, could cost a ton of money, and more importantly, could cost lives. In fact, flights schools require a trainee to log a certain number of hours in the simulator, as well as receive certifications saying they are ready before they are even let in a cockpit, which is probably a good thing. It would be a real bummer if you crashed your first time flying. So it’s a good thing these simulators are in place.

So like I said, there are tons of ways in which video games can actually a career. Not to mention, I heard a study a few years ago that said kids who played video games had higher hand eye coordination levels. This made them ideal surgeons and pilots. Sound familiar? The thing is to make sure that you don’t get carried away with the games, and play at the expense of everything else. You can’t devote all your potential to this pastime. Unless of course, you are planning one of these three fields and are also working your buns off. In which case, best of luck.

           

            

Alternatives to Mature

            Alrighty kids, this week we are going to expand on something we talked about a few weeks ago. First, let us look at some of the big cross-console blockbuster titles. Some of the most popular games and franchises are Assassin’s Creed, Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. Now class, what do all of these games have in common? Come on, I know you guys know the answer. The main that that all of these best sellers have in common is that each and every one of them is rated M.

            Looking at many of the other best sellers, such as Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Saint’s Row, BioShock, Hitman, and so many others all are rated M. This is a trend that has been going on for years. With the exception of racing and sports games, it almost seems that any best seller not in those genres is rated M. While there are always the tried and true family franchises, such as Mario, Legend of Zelda, and the newer Little Big Planet, the problem here is they are all console exclusive games. Little Big Planet is a Sony exclusive, whereas any Zelda or Mario game belong to Nintendo. It is largely for this reason that if you are looking for a console for a younger audience, most video game retailers will recommend the current Nintendo console over Microsoft’s current Xbox iteration. So what alternatives are left for those who have already purchased a console?

            Part of the problem lies in the genre of these games. Other than sports and racing, some of the most popular games are First Person Shooters, or FPS, and occasionally Action/RPG. And seeing as many of these games are targeted at consumers of college age and above, that leaves fewer developers focusing on games for other demographics. Though the largest percentage of video game players are college males and above, that still leaves thousands upon thousands of players without games tailored to their age demographic. This also leaves out those who do not enjoy these violent games as much.

            The fact that so many big title blockbuster games are rated M is part of the reason that we have so many juveniles playing games not intended for their age group. While there are a good number of more age appropriate titles released each year, they are usually not put out by these big name developers. This leads to these rated M blockbusters getting more attention from reviewers, as well as much more money is poured into advertising. If you put on a channel that will run commercials for video games, I would estimate at least 3/5 games are rated M. The good news is that more developers are noticing the underage audiences playing their games, and are adding features to tone down the content. For example, there are several FPS games that have a language and gore filter that can be toggled from the options menu. That way, you can still have all the fun of your war shooter, without the added graphic language and blood.

            Despite the large number of Mature games on the market, there is still hope for finding family friendly, or at least Teen rated games. The only issue is it requires more effort on the part of the consumer to try and find these games, as they are not advertised as thoroughly as some of the more Mature alternatives. To try and help out, here are some decent E and T alternatives to popular M rated games.

            For the FPS crowd, they usually play games like Battlefield, Halo, and Call of Duty. These games are noted for their violence, blood, and occasionally language. Luckily, Bungie, the studio behind the original Halo franchise, decided to tackle a wider audience with their latest shooter, Destiny. For those of you who haven’t heard much about this game, Destiny is an online oriented first person shooter, in which you play as a Guardian in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting. Mankind has seen its rise and subsequent fall from glory, and it is your task to stave off the Darkness, which are extra-terrestrial enemies who are not particularly fond of mankind. This game is great because it takes this widely popular genre to a younger audience, without sacrificing gameplay or complexity. It is every bit as challenging and fun as Call of Duty, and Halo.  Even better, it is available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

            An even more family friendly shooter game is available on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One called Plants VS Zombies: Garden Warfare. This game takes the online deathmatch format, in which two teams compete to see who can get the most kills, but makes it silly and whimsical. You decide whether you want to play as a plant, like a sunflower shooting seeds, or a zombie, which would you a pesticide sprayer as a gun. Each faction has different choices as to play style, weapons, and class. The awesome thing about this game is that while it is silly and childish, I have heard it is still loads of fun, even from veteran FPS gamers.

            For those of you who like the stealth action/adventure/RPG games like Assassin’s Creed, Warner Brothers has a phenomenal alternative. Rocksteady studios have a franchise based on the globally popular comic book character Batman. Seeing that all the previous Batman games were pretty terrible, Rocksteady set out to make the best Batman game ever made. A few years ago, they succeeded with Batman: Arkham Asylum. In this game you play as the Caped Crusader to combat the capture of the insane asylum, which has been taken over by the inmates. This game combines sneaking aspects, some puzzles, and combo based combat sequences that rival Assassin’s Creed with every turn. After Asylum takes place, there is also Batman: Arkham City, in which a section of Gotham has been walled off and converted into a megaprison. In this sequel, Batman goes in undercover to investigate some shady rumors and possible gang uprising within the walls. Both of the games are fantastic, and are available on both PS3 and Xbox 360. A next generation sequel to Arkham City, called Arkham Knight, will be available early next spring on Xbox One and PS4.

            So while Mature games dominate a large portion of big name titles, there are still excellent alternatives available for both Sony and PlayStation, without sacrificing the quality of the game. These games are just as good as any other blockbuster, and you can play them with your kids. What’s not to like?

Factions of Gaming

On my blog post a few weeks ago, someone mentioned they liked the way that I was able to simplify and explain various aspects of gaming. Basically, I made it easier to understand for someone who has never held a controller before. So I figured I would make another post like that. This time, I am going to explain the various “factions” of gaming so to speak, and why someone would or would not pick that particular aspect of gaming.

To start, there are 4 main factions of games. I am going to start by saying that just because someone aligns themselves with one faction, doesn’t mean there are no cross platform gamers. But now we go back to the topic at hand. The four big groups of gamers are Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and finally, the PC gamers. However, these are probably not the terms you have heard for each group. The Sony crowd are those who play the PlayStation consoles. The current generation are the PS4 guys. Opposed to them are the Microsoft guys, also known as the Xbox gamers. They are currently playing the Xbox One.

Of all the factions, these two are the most bitter rivals. As one comedian Christian Finnegan once said, “Xbox and PlayStation people hate each other, they are like Bloods and Crips, but there is a respect there. Just so long as you’re not one of those Wii douchebags”. I will get to the Wii later. But for the most part, that little quote is pretty accurate. The Xbox and PS guys are generally the more hardcore console gamers, and each will defend why their choice is better. And there is some truth to each side of the argument.

As far as Xbox goes, I would say this console is built more for the social gamer. While the online gaming services is more expensive, it is, to a degree, better. Because Microsoft has been charging for online play for years, they were able to establish more servers, and more reliable servers because it was directly funded by the online fee, or Xbox Live Gold. It generally runs $8 a month, or you could also do $25 for three months, or $60 for the year. Some of the more popular exclusives, such as the Halo franchise, stress the multiplayer aspect. Another fine example is Titanfall. However, there are a good number of single player exclusives as well. For example, Microsoft has exclusive rights to a fantasy role playing franchise called Fable.

PlayStation is generally played more for exclusives in many cases. While the online is not as well established or reliable as Xbox, it does still see a good number of online players. Some of the single player exclusives are games like God of War, Metal Gear Solid, and Infamous. These three franchises all cover different genres, but are all single player, and are all only available on Sony format consoles.

However, both consoles see a good number of cross console franchises. For the story driven single player experience, one incredibly popular franchise is Assassin’s Creed. If it is an online shooter you want, both Xbox and PlayStation support games like Battlefield and Call of Duty. So in the end, both consoles are actually pretty similar. Sure one boasts slightly better hardware, but in the end it really all comes down to personal preference.

So now we address the Wii comment from the stand up line. Nintendo doesn’t really try to compete with Sony and Microsoft as much. For the most part, they have been trying to do their own thing, and quite frankly, they are doing it pretty well. Because it is often more family oriented, it doesn’t attract the hardcore gamers as much as the other two main consoles. As such, it is often teased for being too childish and gimmicky. However, Nintendo has the handheld gaming market cornered. While Sony has the PlayStation Vita, its lack of content and notable titles prevents it from even coming close to the Nintendo 3DS. As far as handheld gaming goes, Nintendo is unmatched by all. Microsoft has not even attempted to venture into that market, as it would undoubtedly fail in comparison.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the PC gamer. Based on my experience, these are without a doubt the most fanatical of all the gamer types. In fact, I know several people that own several consoles, all from different companies, (PS4, Xbox One, and Pc) and claim their PC overall. Ask anyone one of them and they will say PC reigns over all others, even going to the point of claiming PC Master Race. That is the tag they proudly attach to themselves. But honestly, they make a strong argument as to their supremacy. There is actually a ton of reasons why PC is considered the best gaming medium. To start, they have much better connection for online play, and the servers are much more reliable than any console based online play. There are always online sales going on for games, and if you don’t feel like playing, well, there are ways around that too. Just as many people will download tv shows, music, and movies, there are thousands of gamers who will torrent and pirate PC games as well. The graphics are, and always will be, far FAR better than any console.

But the most fascinating thing about PC gaming is how it can keep one game relevant for years after its release. Somewhere out there in the vast expanse of the interwebs are beautiful people known as modders. These highly skilled programmers and game designers will take existing games, and build on the foundation already laid by the developers. For example, modders will take a game that has been out for a year and design a mod that ups the graphics. Or say for example they feel that a certain game could have had a better intro level. There are mods that let you play missions that were never there in the first place. Using what already exists, these magnificent strangers take these already fantastic games and make them better. Despite having come out almost 3 years ago, there are people who have still not stopped playing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim because of all the mods that exist. These mods contain everything from bonus missions, extra maps, Spider-Man costumes, or even retextured torches. It is that fact that drives so many gamers to PC.

However, the one downside is, unlike consoles, you may have to upgrade occasionally. If you buy a PS4 or Xbox One, that console will be good for 5 years or more, and you won’t have to upgrade the internal hardware. Because computers are constantly evolving, you may have to upgrade your graphics card or processors every so often to keep up with the constantly evolving computer world. However, it is these upgrades that allow PC gaming to continually outshine console. It just requires a little more dedication.

In all, there are pros and cons to each, but it all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. One easy way to decide is to find out what consoles your friends are most likely to play. That is how I ended up on Xbox, and I will be honest, I have yet to regret that choice. XBONE FTW.

Stop Blaming the Games

Video games get a lot of flak. They get blamed for everything. I guarantee all of you have heard statements along the lines of, “video games kill productivity”, or “too many games make you dumber”. Basically, all the old sayings about how tv would rot your brain have now carried over to video games. One of the worst, however, is how video games are making kids more violent. Or not just violent, how games are corrupting kids in general.

When I worked at a nameless, multimillion dollar videogame retailer, I cannot tell you how many parents would come in griping that video games were turning their children into monsters. “Oh little Johnny won’t stop swearing since he started playing that Grand Theft Auto. I can’t believe they make that game for kids.” Or “Billy seems a lot more violent after getting that Mortal Kombat game, he won’t stop hitting other kids! They shouldn’t make these kinds of games for my little baby.” This happened more times than I could count.

There are so many reasons this is a poor argument. First of all, any time a child acts out, are you going to turn around and blame games? For instance, if a 4^th grader swears, how do you know for sure it is because of a video game? What’s to say that he didn’t hear it on the playground, or tv, or a neighbor, or even one of the parents? Let's be honest; many of us can attest that we heard some of our first swear words from our own parents. For me, my dad working around the house was a great way to learn so new swear words. There is no way that a video game is the only medium that could have influenced or affected the child. The same thing applies for the violence argument. One of the most popular televised sports in the US is UFC, which is literally watching grown men beat on each other for hours at a time. Even most kid’s cartoons have the protagonist beating up the bad guy.

More importantly, it is not the developers fault for how someone’s child turns out. One may list these games as an influence, but even that is not a fair argument, for one, very simple reason. To understand that, one only has to look at the ratings. For those of you who were not aware, every video game, whether released in the US or abroad, is subject to impartial review, and is rated on its content. In the United States, any video game published is reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB. Just like any film is rated by the Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, all games have a rating as well.

In a nutshell, any movie rating has a video game parallel. The 4 main ratings you will see are E, E10+, T, and M. The Everyone rating, or E, is the video game equivalent of a G rated movie. Anyone in any age group can play these games without issue. E10+, or Everyone ten and up, is like a PG movie. Pretty much anyone can play, but it’s recommended for at least 10 years of age. Like at a theater, a minor can see a PG movie unattended, just as a preteen can buy E10+. Next is T, for Teen. This is your PG13 movie basically. Once again, no ID is needed, but it’s recommended that the player be at least 13 or older, due to the slightly more mature content. These games usually have a little more violence, or some suggestive themes. The last major rating is M for Mature. These games are like rated R movies. The content is not intended for anyone under the age of 17. Just as you can’t buy a rated R ticket without a parent or valid ID, rated M games require the purchaser to be at least 17 years of age, and must present a valid ID confirming age. In fact, if you do not have an ID, the retailer reserves the right to deny the sale of any rated M game. These games are strictly for adults, often times more graphic than any rated R movie.  Sure, both movies and games have higher ratings than M and R (those being NC17 and AO, respectively), but those ratings are rarely ever used. In a rated  R movie, even there a limit stands as to just how much one can put in the movie, before they move it to Not Rated, or NC17. With video games, once it hits a certain point, it’s rated M. Consequently, some rated M games can be significantly more violent and graphic than others. .

In addition to checking the ratings, it is vitally important that parents understand the nature of the game. So using what we know about ratings, let us see why blaming games for how kids act is not a fair judgment. I would go so far to say it is an invalid argument. Say, for example, little Timmy sneaks into a rated R movie. Now, in most cases, as the parent, would you be mad at the Quentin Tarantino because Timmy knowingly went to see a movie he knew was not allowed, or do you punish Timmy for blatantly disregarding the rules? Same with video games. If 10 year old Jeffrey plays Grand Theft Auto V, arguably the most graphic game (containing full nudity, frequent violence, glorified crime, a torture scene,blatant drug abuse, etc) every made, do you write angry letters to Rockstar Games for publishing it, or is Jeffrey in trouble for playing games he knows he shouldn’t?

Sadly, many parents resort to playing the blame game. Even worse is when the parents buy the game for their children. Many uninformed parents believe that because it is a video game, it is for kids. Not so, as the majority of games are targeted towards young men ages 18-35. But these parents will buy games like Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and Battlefield, then turn around and blame the developers for making these games in the first place. I say it is the parents fault. They should take the responsibility to monitor what their children are playing, and make sure not to buy games that are not appropriate for their childrens age range. Growing up, my mother monitored every game my brother and I played. She would check the ratings, and would restrict my purchases as necessary. Even then, she would go in later to see if maybe we snuck in games that were not allowed for our age group. If she found a rated M game, she would confiscate it, and we would lose various gaming privileges for a set amount of time as punishment, as it should be. Instead of blaming others, my mother took the time to make sure what we were exposing ourselves to was appropriate for our age. More parents need to take that responsibility on themselves instead of blaming the publishers, developers, and retailer. If you wanna read more about the ESRB rating system, check it out right here.
//endrant

When I was a Young Girl...

So the last few weeks we have been talking about money. Finances can be interesting, but usually are not so entertaining, especially when the topic is dragged out for so long. So, my apologies for the long winded shenanigans, ladies and gents. So to make up for it, I am going to take this week to tell y’all a story that I think is pretty funny, about my own experiences in online gaming.

            I don’t exactly know how much the lot of you follow video games in the news, but as of late there has been a large focus on gender in video games. Tons of articles on sexism, oversexualization of females in games, discrimination and condescention towards women, etc. have been cropping up. I can’t exactly argue with some of the articles, there are many instances of such crappy things happening. To a point, I am inclined to a agree with some of them. Consider, for example, one of the most iconic female leads in video games, Lara Croft, from the Tomb Raider series. If any woman had that kind of bust in real life, she would develop serious back problems. Another famous lady character, Princess Peach, was, for the longest time, the typical example of a damsel in distress. So like I said, many of these stereotypes and articles have rung to be true. You can actually read a really good article that references many of these issues, and has studies to back it, here. But this week, I am actually going to address the times that being a girl actually made people nicer to me.

            If you recall, about twelve years ago, the most popular MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game, for those who do not know or forgot), was RuneScape. This game predates WoW (World of Warcraft) by quite a few years. A large part of RuneScapes draw was that it was, at its core, a free to play game. If by the time you finished all the free content you wanted more, you could pay $5 dollars a month to become a member, which literally made the game 7x larger in terms of maps, missions, content, etc. So, for a long time, the game was quite successful.

In 7^th grade, at the insistence of my friends, I decided to make an account. To be honest, I was glad I did. This was my first experience with any online community, and it was fun. For the most part, people were nice. But there is a reason for that. My first time playing the game, fresh out of the tutorial section, I see a veteran player making a public announcement. This magnificent gentleman was closing his account after years of playing, and wanted to help out any new player. All he required was your login info, and an hour or two. I figured, “What the hell, why not? I’ve only been playing 10 minutes, and this account isn’t attached to anything else, so it’s not like he can steal anything from me. Let’s do it!” So I gave this mysterious benefactor my login. He said to come back in an hour, and all the transfers would be complete. I was incredibly ecstatic. To keep myself from getting even more impatient, I decided to watch a movie. After those two hours were up, I logged back in, changed my password, and went to see what this enigma of a player had to offer. I am pleased to say, he kept his word. He gave my avatar a ton of gold, all the best armor I could equip at my level and the best sword available for beginners. It was awesome. This was going to give me a huge head start in my ventures in this new electronic frontier. There was one catch, however. I can only assume the stranger did this for comedic effect, but for the longest time I did not know how to fix it. HE MADE MY AVATAR A FEMALE.

I was stuck. I had no clue what to do, or how to reverse the change, and I wasn’t about to give up all my new gear, so I decided to go ahead and play anyway. For the longest time, if anyone asked, or made any sort of comment, I would politely correct them, say I was a man, and explain the situation. After about a month or two of explaining, I got tired of repeating the same old tale. One day I decided to go with it. “Yeah, man. I am a girl.” They had no reason not to believe it. To my surprise, the other players demeanor changed entirely. They started giving me free stuff. The assumed I was new, unexperieced, and desperately in need of help (which, as it turns out, perfectly aligns with what the article I shared early had found about behavior towards women in online games). They would offer to guide and protect me through quests, power level me (when a higher level character helps a lower level through a tougher area just to let the ‘noob’ get a ton of exp in a short time), and buy me better gear as soon as it was needed. It was awesome! All I had to do was pretend I was actually a chick, and these lonely nerds would do everything for me! It was a dream come true for a lazy middle school gamer. Eventually, it got tiring, and the more I thought about it, the more messed up I realized it was. A few years later, I tested this again, with a friend, in a more “scientific” and controlled manner. Both times, I found the same result to be true.

The male gamers assumed I was a helpless little girl, who desperately needed their protection and guide. At least I can say this. The only time the article was wrong was in regards to the boys attitude. They were never rude, and always tried to be as polite and chivalrous as possible. But if you all want, I would be more than happy to share some of these stories and experiences, just leave a comment. Happy gaming folks! 

More About Money, and Why Destiny Is Brilliant

          So last week we talked about how the ways paying for games have changed. Which, like I said earlier, isn't really much of a surprise to anyone. This time, I am going to talk a little more about that. Honestly, I am going to write a lot more. Everything is internet connected these days. With games connected to the internet, it allows developers to sell extra content, quite easily. Not to mention, think about how little that costs them as far as sales go. If you put any additional content on a disc, you have to pay to have the discs printed, packaged, shipped, etc. There is so much extra cost attached to having a physical copy. Now consider selling the same content, but digitally. The only cost attached to it is creating the content, and hosting it on the servers. You completely cut out the cost of printing and shipping discs. Yet, they can sell the content for the same price. This is also done with full games, not just extra content. Whether you buy the hard copy or the digital game, you are still paying $59.99 retail price. The difference is, that with the digital copy, they make so much more in pure profits. They get to cut out the production cost by a large margin. It is for this reason that many indie and third party games are download only. It is much cheaper to do, and much larger profits.

          So this is one way to make a lot of money, off of one game or franchise. But using the expansion/dlc model, one can continue to make money almost indefinitely. To understand what I am talking about, let us look at the most popular MMORPG, pretty much ever. Most, if not all of you, have heard of or know someone who plays or has played World of Warcraft. We have all met someone who has. That makes sense, as the playership of that game is insanely large. Yet despite having come out ten years ago, MILLIONS of people still play it on a daily basis. And I do not mean that figuratively. As of summer 2014, there are almost 7.5 million active accounts on World of Warcraft. That is sort of crazy, when you think about it. That almost ten years later, one game can still have over seven million players on a daily basis. Not many games can make that claim. Less still can continue to profit almost a decade later. The big question in this situation really is how do they do it?

          Part of World of Warcraft’s success is from its previous fanbase. Before the MMORPG, was released, there was already a Warcraft game. There was several, actually. The Warcraft series on PC was already decently popular, so they decided to tap into the online model. Not only did they bring over their already existing fanbase, but added a ton of new players as well. The real secret to their success is continued quality, and constantly staying relevant. They never let the game get too stale or old. Basically, World of Warcraft uses the expansion method for PC gaming. Every year or two, Blizzard Studios makes a new expansion, to keep the game fresh, the latest installation being called the Mists of Pandaria. Like previous expansions, it added new areas, missions, and this time a new playable race. But like I mentioned, by continually adding content every so often, the game never really has time to get old. They add missions and races, regions, and sometimes even new aspects altogether.

          So now we have seen that one game can stay relevant, and widely played, over the span of a decade. Now, there is a console game that wants to do the same. By now, most of you have heard of the new blockbuster game Destiny. This game is trying to do something new, something different. Now, up until now there have in fact been a few console based MMORPGs, but quite frankly, none of them very good. For one reason or another, the MMORPG format has, up till this point, never translated well onto console. With Destiny, Bungie Studios and Activision are trying to tweak this model to work to their advantage. Instead of making this an online RPG, Destiny will appeal to a whole new target audience of players: First Person Shooters. In Destiny, Bungie is taking the FPS format and making it a massive online experience, with cooperative and versus multiplayer options.

          Quite frankly, Bungie is brilliant for making this game the way they have been. To start with, they already had a massive fanbase from their previous series, Halo, which is one of the most popular fps franchises on Xbox. Secondly, the format in which they are presenting the game will make them a disgusting amount of money. By making this game using the MMO expansion type model, when combined with the DLC method,  will be largely profitable in the long run. The game made half a billion on the first day it was released, and will continue to sell. The first expansion comes out in December, which will retail for $20, and be available for digital download as DLC. Like WOW, they will be periodically adding content, for a relatively low price, This will not only keep the game relevant and fresh, it will continually allow for new players to join in on the fun. Not to mention, Bungie has a 10 year contract and plan with Activision. They intend to release content for the next 10 years, to try and tap the financial success that has been working so well for Blizzard. The only challenge for Bungie now will be making sure that they can add enough original and quality content to keep the game relevant for the years to come. 

How Prices Have Evolved

Everything changes over time, in some fashion or another. That is something everyone can agree to. Anyone can agree that video games have changed over time, even those that have never touched a controller in their life. People always talk about how the graphics, or game engine, or story, or gameplay have improved as technology progresses. There is one major change that the video game industry has seen that many overlook. It has nothing to do with how the game plays or looks. What many do not consider is all of the ways that financial cost has changed over the years in the gaming world.
I will admit, it was never really something I considered growing up. It was not until I saw this infographic that someone made that I actually started to think about it. The image can be found here.
So, to start, let’s look at how games used to be sold. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to buy a console game, that is all you would get. For the sake of this example, we will Mariokart 64, for the Nintendo 64. I don’t remember the exact cost, but I believe the standard price of a Nintendo 64 game cartridge was between $70-$80 dollars. Once you that price, that game, in its entirety, was yours. That game was all it was going to ever be on that console. No extra tracks, no bonus racers, just what was included. Back then, all of those extra maps or characters were already included in the game, but you had to unlock them by playing through the game. It was not uncommon to unlock extras by completing certain missions or finishing a track under a certain time. That is how most games operated from the late 90’s to early 2000s.
The next model came not too long after. Developers started to notice that the more popular games people would buy and play months to years after it came out. They observed that the better the game, the more loyal the fanbase. So, as intelligent businessmen, they introduced something called the expansion pack. On PC, this was usually an extra disc that would retail for a fraction of the cost of the original game. Once installed, the expansion pack would add more maps, characters, weapons, etc, that were not included in the original release. On console, this meant releasing the same game, about a year or two later than the original release, but with all the extra content on the disc or cartridge. A perfect example of this model was Fable, for the original Xbox. This game was released in 2004, and was a wildly popular rpg for console. I can personally say it was an excellent game with very high replay value, making it a good investment for gamers. A year later, the developers released Fable: The Lost Chapters. This version, like the first, had all the original content and unlockables, but with added areas, missions, weapons, and backstory that added several hours of play time to the game. This was a brilliant financial move as it opened the game up to plenty of new players, as well as appealing to the large fanbase already established from the initial release.
Developers noticed the financial gains that could be made through expansions, and found another way to make this already successful model more profitable. As technology became more online oriented, the downloadable content, or DLC, model was introduced. The formula was pretty simple. Basically, it take a few steps.

1.       Design and release game

2.       During development, create, (but don’t release) characters, maps, etc.

3.       After initial release of game, periodically, put up “extra content” (extras already made during initial development)

4.       Sell DLC at fraction of cost for full game

5.       Profit

Financially, this was one of the most brilliant moves game developers and publishers ever came up with. Like with the expansion pack model, it allowed them to introduce the game to more players after the initial release. By releasing more DLCs every few months, developers could keep their games relevant as the popularity decline. Example, Borderlands 2 comes out. $60 dollars at release, and makes a ton. Two months after release, you can buy an extra campaign pack that includes new areas, weapons, and NPCs for the low cost of $10. Not a terrible deal, all things considered. A great game with more stuff, for only a few bucks more? Don’t mind if I do. Now, let’s say they have 4 extra campaigns, at $10 dollars each, plus 2 extra playable characters, for $5. Again, it doesn’t seem like much, since they would space out the release of the campaigns and characters every few months. But, if you were to buy the game at launch, plus all 4 extra campaign DLC packs, and the 2 extra characters, you have just payed $110 dollars for this one game. That’s right, developers would make almost twice the sale price of the game just in downloadable content. That figure does not even include extra skin packs, to make your player look even more rad. As you can see, it’s an insanely profitable model. To try and make this model more appealing, the developers added the “season pass”. This let you pay one bulk sum up front, but gave you several of the DLC packs, at a discounted rate. In the case of Borderlands 2, that meant paying $30 dollars for the 4 campaign packs. If you had planned on getting the DLCs anyways, that saved you $10 on something you had already planned on purchasing. To sweeten the deal, many developers added “season pass exclusives”, such as weapons, armors, and skins only available to those that purchased the season pass.

            As time has gone on, video game companies have found many ways to make even more money off of every purchase. The most brilliant thing about it, is that so many people never noticed. Those that have, often lament the way it has progressed. Gone are the days of unlocking that super sweet character with the awesome finisher move by completing some insanely difficult and asinine challenge. Now, that overpowered tank of a player can be yours for the low low price of $4.99. Can’t say I fault the developers, and I too buy DLCs. Still, gotta agree with some of those older games. I do miss the accomplishment of unlocking those really difficult characters.

Games Make Friends

Here we are, halfway through September. To many, Fall holds significant meaning. Some think of going back to school, and some think of Halloween and Thanksgiving. To a large percentage, it means football season. Football, and sports in general, are a great way for people to socialize. Thousands of men and women all over the world, can sit down with a complete stranger, and talk for hours about their favorite sports teams. Two guys who have never met will sit down at a bar, and compare stats for their favorite batters over a few rounds a beer. To those who say that sports are nothing more than an entertainment medium, there are many others who would say otherwise. Mutual love of a sport can breed a sense of community where there are no other common factors. Additionally, it can help breed a sense of intellectualism in an individual who does not see themselves as smart.

 Gerald Graff, a well-respected professor at University of Illinois in Chicago, actually has a fantastic piece relating to this. In “Hidden Intellectualism”, he actually talks about all this. Graff specifically discusses students with poor grades, or did not feel engaged at all in class would be able to memorize statistics and numbers, that if framed a different way, would not remember a single digit. He also references the community building aspect of sports.

After reading that article for a class, my immediate thought went to video games. I have seen students who completely hate math memorize formulas and statistics that only apply to a game. a college dropout will memorize the drop rate and percent chance of finding a rare item, or the spawn rate of a rare boss in relation to how many players are online. Additionally, much like sports, it is a topic that complete strangers can bond over. Walk through any Best Buy, GameStop, or FYE, and look in the electronics and gaming department. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a total random lean over to someone and tell them why the game they are holding is a good idea, or a terrible purchase. Many times, that little tidbit launches into a full blown discussion about similar good games, upcoming titles, and better alternatives. Having worked at a video game retailer, I have seen many of these conversations end in the exchanging of phone numbers and gamertags, so they can play together in the future. Speaking from personal experience, just last week I went to the midnight release of Destiny. That being said, they crowd is filled with more game enthusiasts than casual gamers. However, that is much akin to the environment of a sports bar on Super Bowl Sunday. While waiting in line, I asked the gentlemen behind me a single question, that lead to a lovely conversation that continued until we had all checked out and went our separate ways. Like the interactions I mentioned earlier, that exchange ended in the three of us swapping gamertags.

                Like sports, video games are in many ways, another way for complete strangers to engage one another, and help people build some sense of community. It can lead to friendly rivalries and long lasting friendships. If nothing else, that is just one little way I think that games can be good for you.

Hello, Lovely Internet People

When reading any blog, I feel there are a few questions to ask. Questions like, “Who the hell even is this dude?” “Why should I listen to him?” “What is this blog even about?” Or maybe you don’t ask those questions, and that’s just me. In either case, I intend to answer them anyways.

So, let us start with the basics: what is this blog about? This, like so many others, is a blog about video games. I know what you may be thinking; “Great, some other nerd going on about how great his killstreak was last week.” Thankfully, this is not one of those blogs. Those blogs, in my opinion, are stupid. It is one thing to talk about why a game is good or bad, but it is something else entirely to use your blog just to brag about how great you are. If you feel so inclined to share those achievements with the world, at the very most, one should just lightly pepper the blog with self-congratulations, while spending the majority of it on other, more pertinent topics. As such, this blog will have a good deal more than that. Unlike those, this blog will have more substance. I intend to discuss things like why people should not blame video games for violent tendencies, why online gaming is actually good for helping people socialize, and the like. I may have a review here and there, but I won’t devote entire posts to talking about how fantastic my Gamerscore is.

As to whether or not you should listen to me, that is entirely up to you. However, here are some reasons I would listen to me. For starters, if not the most hardcore gamer, I have been playing games recreationally since I was eight years old. I have not stopped since. I have played handhelds, consoles, and some pc. Currently, I play Xbox 360, Xbox One, and one mmo on my pc. Even if I cannot always afford the newest games that come, I do try to stay current on what is happening in the gaming industry. I have always loved it, and always will. Additionally, I worked for a large video game retailer on and off for several years. For legal reasons, I will not specifically name the company. I mean, you know how sensitive these large corporations are. As such, it was my job to know what was going on in the beautiful world of video games. More times than I could count, I would have conversations with parents about violence in games, what is appropriate for age groups, what will be good for their children, and why getting a specific game for their child would be beneficial. In short, many of the conversations I had in the past will be the topics of a few of my blogs.

In the end, whether or not you continue to read this blog is entirely up to you. If my style of writing is not to your taste, I understand. Some other good blogs to check out would be Kotaku, IGN, and GameSpot. If you do decide to follow this blog, I think that is pretty rad, and I hope you enjoy. Later folks.