The Most Game for Your Money

i was intrigued recently by a wired news post that expressed the opinion that a lot of games today take too much longer to fully complete than advertised or suggested online. other outlets like joystiq, kotaku and slashdot had plenty of voices representing each side of the argument on whether that was true or not.

i see both sides. frequently on here i write about how i can't ever find enough time to devote solely to games and how that often prevents me from picking it up and playing it all the time. i sympathize entirely with the wired author, with so many games out there for a variety of platforms, it's difficult not to go out and buy loads of games without having properly finished a game you've been working on (and enjoying) for a while. if you're trying your best to be an adult and an avid gamer, it's almost impossible to devote proper time to a well-crafted game as well as your loved ones, job, etc.

on the other hand, what is this guy complaining about? so the game was advertised as providing 20 hours of entertainment, and you got 40 hours of fun out of it? doesn't that sound like a good deal for your money? if you think about it, if you get enough entertainment out of a game, it's really a lot more cost-effective than something else like going to the movies.

i agree that at times developers could do a better job at making games a little less redundant, so that you don't end up completing a game in 40 hours when you really hated the middle 20 hours of it. i'd say overall i enjoy a 20-40 hour adventure-type experience over something that you pick up and play for 10 minutes and get nowhere. that's probably why, despite liking both games, i play paper mario a lot more often than say, katamari damacy.

currently, paper mario is my best example for the topic of getting the most out of a game to justify its cost. i would imagine most people could finish the game in probably 25-30 hours, but i'm currently on about 38 with just a little left to go. it's been a great, surprisingly fun game, but of course, i'm ready for it to be over with. i feel like i've mentioned it on this blog way too many times and i just need to get it over with and spend time on something else. funny thing is, i bought it in october 2004 when it had just come out, and basically let it sit on the shelf for a good year.

i read about some of these hardcore RPG types putting in well over 100 hours into a game and just think "wow, i'm staying clear of that game." there's definitely a happy medium somewhere between 5 minutes and 100+ hours.

--justin

Macintosh > Mac > PC

after seeing this screen that pops up in iTunes 7 when you connect your iPod, it kind of occurred to me -- do we ever really use the term "Macintosh" anymore? i have a "mini mac" and a "macbook" but nowhere in there does it really call it a "macintosh." i think even the operating system is referred to officially as "mac os x." so, if macintosh means nothing at this point, why call it a mac at all? why not just a computer?

--justin

Thrashed Bod

i'm not much of a complainer when it comes to physical ailments and whatnot, but i think i finally gotta cave a bit. i've been working out 3 times a week since mid-2002 and it might have finally caught up with me. more and more lately i'm just racking up too many aches and pains all the time, and it really starts to take its toll on me after a while.

i've had several months of varying levels of mid and lower back pain, but it's gotten worse in the last month. i finally had to bite the bullet and schedule a doctor's appointment even though i don't have anything much more than "uh yeah my mid and lower back hurts all the time, and i'm tiring of taking painkillers daily." i go in tomorrow, so i'll see if i'm just given a few weeks' worth of stronger pain killers or actually get referred to a specialist.

it actually kinda sucks cuz i'm at a point where everything's going well for both cardio and strength training. running has been better than it was last year (in which an attempt at training for a 5K ended with a month of physical therapy sessions for shin splints) although i've started pretty slow. i've seen some recent gains for certain muscle groups, after some pretty long plateaus. upon finally finding a solid opponent again, i've started back up with competitive racquetball once a week as well.

but despite all that, i can't really ignore that i can't seem to go a day anymore without popping an aleve or tylenol and gingerly moving around all day. lately what happens is i'll play an hour and a half of racquetball monday night and for the next 2 full days my right shoulder's completely fucked and my legs are thrashed. then things will get better further in the week, but the usual arm and chest workouts are hampered by the bad back. i've barely even been able do actual back workouts for the last couple months anyway.

it'd be easy to say that since i'm a software engineer having lingering soreness and back pain would be relatively easy to manage, but that's certainly not the case for me. i actually feel a lot better when i'm active or working out than when i'm just sitting. while i'm at work or at home on the computer it's hard not to think about my back being so stiff. god forbid i have to get up and limp to the bathroom gingerly, heh.

i dunno, i don't wanna stop. i wanna keep doing what i've been doing for the last 4+ years, cuz most of the time i actually enjoy it. but, while i may only be 24, i gotta start listening to the body and at least see the doctor about this. we'll start with the back, but off & on i've had issues with both wrists (another lovely bi-product of being a software engineer AND trying to bench press more), right shoulder (really should be iced after all racquetball sessions), still the lingering shin splints at times (should go away over time...) and neck (certainly from too much computer dorkery).

recently, i've found this health-related blog fairly interesting. spend 5 minutes and read about his attempts at losing weight.

--justin

I am entirely pro-new Facebook.

yes, as my title suggests, i am entirely for the new facebook. i'm not gonna explain facebook if you're not familiar, if you don't know what it is, this post doesn't really concern you. if you're a facebook user, you'll know what i mean when i mention the new facebook.

i seem to be in the minority by supporting the new format. i think it makes the site/social network that much more useful. people complain that too many incriminating items are listed right on everyone's home page. i've got news for ya -- everyone voluntarily adds information to the facebook community. whether you joined a group proclaiming your political affiliations, made friends with someone, commented on someone's photo, or added a favorite movie to your profile, YOU entered the information into the system. why are you suddenly so embarrassed that facebook pushed this info into all your friends' laps, instead of having them come find it on your page? isn't this more effective than having people come find information you found important enough to list on a social network?

facebook isn't out to embarrass anyone. if you post embarrassing information on a social networking site, and suddenly everyone knows about it, who exactly is to blame here? if anything, maybe this new system will help prevent people (typically the younger Gen-Y demographic) from posting too much incriminating information from now on. people have certainly gotten lax about what they'll post online, but as soon as they realize other people can *god forbid* see it, they're offended.

what's with the supposedly more mature facebook crowd now claiming that they're a stone's throw away from myspace now? explain to me how a pane in my home page telling me so-and-so made friends with what's-her-face and the guy down the street joined a certain group is the same as the most unprofessional networking site on the planet? myspace pages are famous for being uncontrolled over-abundant distractions rather than anything useful or interesting. how is facebook even close to that?

i just don't understand why all of a sudden everyone who's against these facebook improvements are so goddamn high and mighty about their privacy? what the fuck rights do you supposedly have on a website that you voluntarily add information to? do you own stock in the company? do you contribute to the software development of the site? no, you're a user who agreed to some level of licensed agreement when you joined the site. if you're so embarrassed that everyone sees your every move on a website, uh, how bout you just don't participate in the website at all, and let those of us that enjoy the feature do so without your complaints?

i'm convinced this is yet another bullshit argument in a long line of people my age trying so badly to convince themselves that they don't live a great deal of their social lives online. if you choose to live a portion of your life online, be prepared for the consequences.