Video Game Advantages

Video games seem to offer two things: always available and endless playability. I say “seem to” because you still need certain items: supply of electricity, computer, video display, input devices, and relative privacy.

With regular games and any mainstream social activity the times that you can participate are limited to open hours of the venue the event is at and the number of people that are willing to participate. Take football as an example. It’s a great sport and I like watching it, but to participate would mean getting a group of people together with like-minded intent, find a field where the owners don’t care if the ground gets torn up, a good football, maybe flags if people don’t want to get too physical, and a time to play. That “event time” is limited to daylight unless you find a field that has flood lights.

Football video games lets you play football with a full sized team that has different strengths, play that team against another team, and all in a virtual space that represents a real life stadium. Granted no one is really tackling another person or throwing a football, but then again no one is getting hurt, sweating, or suffering from heat exhaustion.

Since a person playing a video game doesn’t tire easily, many games can be played; even a whole season can be played in one session. If that person has a friend or two or eight, then they can all play without getting grass stains. Or maybe they’ll trade the grass stains for ketchup stains if snacks are present. Games can be played over and over again in the comfort of your own home.

Now, I’m not advocating everyone play video games: that would be a bad idea. What I am promoting is a new view to video games. Instead of condemning the hobby because a few bad apples take them too far, why not embrace them as a connecting hobby. And besides, isn’t it better if a person is interacting with his entertainment rather than just sitting on the couch and passively watching?

--HardWearJunkie

Not much this time around.

It's hot. Can't think about anything but the heat. Need to cool down. Must write more story soon. I don't know what this is about, but it's just flowing out of my fingers like water over Niagara. Frickin' A I wish I typed like this while writing.

It's frickin' hot.

Just one movie this summer, please.

There is only one movie that I'd like to see which is based on a comic strip and cartoon: Captain America. I cannot get into any other movie. I will not see Transformers 3 or Green Lantern. Call me old or jaded, but I don't believe those movies will be entertaining to me.

I look forward to Captain America because the background is based on the older material and his origin story: how he grew up, how he was given strength, and what he did with that strength. This is the kind of story that I want to read in a book and watch on the big screen. Transformers isn't about the robots, it's about the kid (no offense to Shia Labouf). Green Lantern is about a cocky test pilot who doesn't know what to do with himself; not the kind of story I want to watch.

CA is the only story I can identify. Yes, his powers were given to him, but he had to earn that power by relentlessly trying to enter a war he was told he couldn't fight. I especially like how Steve Rodgers (before transformation) says something along the lines of "I have no right to live while others are dying for that right."

I am willing to believe this will be a good movie. I hope it will be when I watch it in theaters.

--HardWearJunkie

Sure, you're going to write once a week.

Maybe once a month, since I remembered this time.

That guy from The Office (NBC) wrote a column in Entertainment Weekly. I don't exactly remember what he wrote, but he basically said that we, as a society, would not want a vigilante or powered person running around taking the law into their own hands. And, honestly, how many times do we see a "publicly" viewed person act like a thug or gang lord? From what I can tell they only control a small section of a city. Certainly security minded groups (FBI, military, police) would be highly interested in restraining these individuals, if only to stop these people from creating a bigger mess.

Take as an example any police department of a fairly large metropolis. (1)They have more resources than one lone superhero. (2)They go to school to do what they do. Superheroes usually don't have criminal science degrees. (3)There are WAY MORE people in these departments than the lone superhero, so they can multi-task. They get more done in several hours than superheroes can do in a week. (4)The public sees the faces of the police. Superheroes are masked, thus they have a problem with publicity at the start. The heroes will be distrusted because they are actively hiding something. Police departments are passively distrusted because they are public organizations.

The superhero is a fantasy and no one should make it real.

--HardWearJunkie

Just how lazy can you be?

Don't answer that. Just tell me why there are drivers today that are changing lanes and turning at intersections without signaling? How hard is it to use a turn signal? I'm reminded of that one scene in Shoot 'Em Up and I'll paraphrase here: it's just a f***ing inch from your finger to flip a switch to signal right. And, people, it's an extra half inch to signal left.

There are those (and I'm assuming here) that will say "I don't have to signal because it's always the other driver's fault." This is wrong thinking. Just because you assume it's the other guy's fault DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE.

"I have a bigger car, so other people need to accommodate for me." Even though you have a driver's license doesn't mean you own the road. The driver's license is a type of permit, meaning it is a priviledge, NOT A RIGHT.

"I have too many things to think about while I'm driving." When you are behind the wheel, the only thing you are required to think about is driving. Everything else is a distraction to the driving. Remember, you are driving a MISSILE. Even 25 mph collisions can be fatal.

The turn signal isn't there to be ignored. The turn signal is there to make driving safer for everyone. Use it or don't drive at all.

There was a blogger...

This will be my second attempt to consistently blog. Hopefully I post at least once every week. I even had a subject to inaugurate the blog, but I was distracted and now I can't remember it.

Oh, well, here's to next time.