Category: Opinions

Opinions, rants, and general thoughts about pop culture and everyday happenings.

Off the Top of My Head: Media Realism and Doom

On By James CastroIn Games, OpinionsLeave a comment

Off The Top of My Head

There has been an odd move in video media to make things more “realistic.”  I’m not sure where this trend originated but having grown up in the 80s and 90s I find it more than a little troubling.  I have spotted a few trends that cross various kinds of media but I’ll use some specific examples to try and make the broad points.  There will be a few of these but I’ll start with one that’s been nagging me the most.  Realism in First Person Shooters.

DOOM.  Yes.  When I think 1st person shooters I still think of Doom.  In Doom you could about 8 weapons, you moved like you were wearing roller skates on a conveyor belt, and the rocket launcher fired out of the middle of your character’s chest.  But while playing Doom I don’t recall ever thinking, “You know what this game needs?  More realism.”  If I played Doom II and I could only carry a shotgun and a plasma rifle I’d be pretty pissed…  Likewise, to heal yourself all you have to do is run over various sizes of health power ups.  I’m not sure how much the game would have been improved by making me stop and actually treat my wounds realistically.

Yep firing a rocket out of the middle of my chest. What?

Fast forward to the modern FPS.  You are usually restricted to carrying a limited number of weapons, running makes the camera (and I use the word CAMERA) bob around like mad and healing somehow takes place just by hiding and not taking damage for a while.  It’s like people forgot how to video game…  All of this was done in the name of realism. Without getting into the fact that for some reason hiding behind a building and breathing until you regain color to the screen is a more realistic way of healing gunshot wounds than running over health packs, why did the industry feel this was necessary?  How does limiting the number of weapons I can carry improve the gaming experience?  How does making the movement look more like “actual” movement help the game play?  I never thought the movement in Doom, or even Wolfenstein, felt bad.  It felt like a video game and since that’s what I was playing it was a-ok.

The addition of seeing a characters hands filling part of the screen has greatly improved my gaming experience. Having NPCs do all the work helps too.

Even stranger is the idea that you can make something like this realistic, but not too realistic as that would be crazy.  How about one-hit kills?  I don’t know too many guys who can take a half dozen gunhits before crouching behind a wall and shaking it off.  How about completely limited ammo?  You have your primary weapon and a couple reloads.  Your secondary weapon and a couple of reloads.  You can’t interchange ammo and when you run out you’re SOL unless a realistic supply depot is nearby.  Or powder burns.  Or misfires.  We don’t see our characters eat very often.  Or go to the bathroom.  (unless it’s the Sims) but no one is clamoring for those additions.  Of course no one really clamored for the others either.

To me an FPS is essentially watching a wheeled humanoid, nearly impervious to wounds, with a Go-Pro on its head and a weapon for its right arm navigate an environment, shoot the other humanoids and make them dead.  There’s no adding realism to that really…  Or if realism MUST be added it shouldn’t be done so at the cost of fun.  I can’t remember having fun with an FPS made after 2006.  Of course the new generation of Modern Military Shooter fans will rend their garments and tell me why Call of Duty is far superior to Quake; and just looking at the shiny their case looks sound.  But when it comes to fun there’s no competition.  Give me the brown castles and 2D sprite enemies of Quake any day…  At least its level of “realism” makes sense!

Off the Top of My Head: Neo-Retro

On By James CastroIn OpinionsLeave a comment

Off The Top of My Head

Neo-Retro

I recently had to explain what a MP3 player was to someone just a few years younger than me. I also had to explain what an MP3 was. Her music player was her phone; her music was “iTunes” or “Amazon.” This conversation made me realize that something as relatively recently widespread as MP3 players have kind of been passed by. And a lot of technology and trends have followed suit. This in my mind is “neo-retro”: items or fashions of very recent history that have briefly dominated a sector of the culture only to be replaced by the ever moving march of progress. Here were some of the ones that crossed my mind:

These envelopes made every trip to the mail box like a trip to the video store…

Netflix Disc Delivery: In 2006 I was given a free month of NetFlix from a friend at work. I was hooked on the service and soon signed up as a regular customer. Sold by the cheap monthly rate that would give me unlimited movie rentals for titles you couldn’t find anywhere else. The service sounded ridiculous. I get a disc in the mail? Then send it back and get another one? But after trying it I was able to watch seasons of TV shows and new-release movies in marathons. You became a master of scheduling; you could calculate when you’d watch a disc so you could have the next one by the weekend. I eventually upped my service to include Blu-Ray discs, and eventually added the streaming service, because it was free with my subscription, despite the paltry video library available digitally. Then a shift occurred. The digital library expanded. NetFlix upped their prices so the digital service was cheaper than disc delivery. I eventually cancelled the disc service and now watch everything on Netflix streaming. During a brief period about 2004-2010 to “Netflix a movie” or “Netflix a TV show” meant you got all the discs delivered and watched them in quick succession. Now no one uses it that way. To “Netflix” only refers to the digital service and while disc deliveries still exist the convenience and vast library available digitally has shifted the rental culture. I still remind people, however, that while Netflix (and later Amazon Prime) changed the way we get movies…it was the disc delivery service that spelled the end of the local video stores. Yes. It was that big. But it has come and gone as the prime mover in movie services.

Don’t laugh. AOL changed the way people contact each other over the computer. Despite what people may say about them!

Email and IM: Yes email still exists. Yes it’s widely used. BUT. There was a time when email was the preferred way to contact people. Now email has been relegated mostly to business/commercial purposes. I use it all the time at work, I use it for internet purchases, and I stay hooked in through email for bills, etc. I even get the occasional email from a friend containing a link or something specific. But is it the most common and popular way I connect with friends and family? Absolutely not. Even though it is available on most smart phones. Now even my friggin’ insurance company offers the choice “enter email address” or “connect via Facebook.” Really? Really? My insurance is good with using my Facebook profile as my main contact info!? Similarly AOL began the wide-spread use of Instant Messenger services. All through high school and college I used IM to connect with friends more than any other form of communication. With the proliferation of affordable cell phone plans, text messaging, and services like Skype the classic instant message has been sent to retro history. So much that the venerable AOL IM sound gets guffaws of retro laughter…..for those who remember it.

MySpace: MySpace is still recent enough and its decline so public it’s not as long-lost as the others on this list. Though it was preceded by other similar concepts, MySpace really started the entire popular social media concept. I had a MySpace page and honestly I still prefer the customizability and personalization capable in a MySpace page. You could set backgrounds…music…colors…all kinds of things. When Facebook started to take over the world MySpace slipped into decline, or rather it went back to what it was created for, advertising bands. But, briefly, MySpace bridged that gap between “here’s my email address, write me sometime” and “here’s my Facebook name, friend me” to dominate social interaction.

Trends move quickly. So quickly sometimes they have come and gone before you can even get used to them. “Retro” has become hipster cool, so having records and tapes is considered fashionable…while using any of the above “neo-retro” items is usually considered “lame” or out-of-date.

So the next time you decide to move all your contact info to Facebook or its inevitable successor…remember nothing stays on top forever. The big thing of today is tomorrow’s has-been!

To see more about RevPub’s thought of tech trends check this post out!

New Technology? I’m Better Off Without It

On By R. PettyIn OpinionsLeave a comment

RavenRant
To Whom It May Concern,

I proudly admit that I activated my first smartphone about two months ago. I also admit I own CDs and DVDs and buy them new when something good comes out. Sure, I have an mp3 player and stream from Amazon, but at the end of the day, I pop in a CD to relax or drive. I receive A LOT of grief about my practices, and people try to argue why their way is better. Well, this week I’m setting the record straight: I’m actually better off than they are. Here’s why:

The smartphone: Ok, they’re not that smart. The text features auto-fill incorrectly so often, I turned mine off. The batteries do not last a full day unless you buy an extended one; they constantly work to connect to wireless or 3 or 4G; and you have to buy separate heavy-duty cases in case you drop it. And if you do, you usually have to replace it. They are also harder to use because you navigate to what you need, whereas with a flip phone, you just flipped it open and away you go!

My flip phones were awesome. Nine-key texting that auto-filled (usually correct). It seems I’m always at a computer, so why do I need to be connected all the time? And when I’m not working, I’m not connected. It’s a well-deserved break, and I’m good with it. No one should be connected all the time. When I dropped my flip phone, I dusted it off and continued using it. No cracked screens, no replacing, and they were more affordable. How much money have you spent on phones the last two years? I’ve spent $30.

Digital music: The difference is compression (thanks, James). The files are compressed (made smaller) so they can fit on the device. Guess what? The sound quality suffers. Most probably don’t realize it, but there is quite a difference in a CD in the car and plugging in your iPhone to listen to music. There’s real bass and clarity. Also, sites go down, devices break and get lost, and believe it or not, the Internet could one day not be there. I’ll still have my CDs though, so I don’t depend on a cloud network or connection for music. Being able to share music so easily is definitely awesome, but we should still buy CDs.

Streaming videos/movies: Same concept. If the connection is slow or there’s bad weather, it spins and buffers and tries really hard to work. But sometimes it doesn’t. With a DVD, you don’t have to worry about it. You place it in the device, and it works – assuming you’ve not abused it, of course. What if Amazon or Netflix takes a movie or show off? You don’t get to watch it and may have to buy it anyway. When you buy a DVD, it’s forever yours.

E-readers and tablets: I love the idea of these, but I prefer hard-copy books for one reason: They are easier on my eyes. I read an average of 30 hours a week, and eye doctors have proven that screens are terrible on your eyes, and cause eye strain, neck pain and headaches. Reading a hard-copy doesn’t cause that damage. You can read in any position and don’t have to worry about glare from the screen or sun. There’s no charging a book, and it won’t break. Once you’re done, you can pass it on or donate it – everyone wins! You don’t have to spend money on special glasses or protectors, and I read faster with hard copies. I bet screens actually slow you down.

To all of you who argue with me about my ways, there’s my argument. I don’t have everything at my fingertips, but walking into the other room or across it is good for me. I don’t lay around or sit for too long, and I enjoy more peace of mind than most I know. Given the choice between connectivity and peace, the latter will win every time.
Feel free to comment below, and I look forward to hearing from everyone!

Take Action or Stop Complaining

On By R. PettyIn OpinionsLeave a comment

RavenRant

Satisfaction. Fulfillment. Happiness. All things we strive for every day. But what makes able to achieve those things?

I proofread an article this week about how we as humans are never satisfied with what we have. We’re too hot, too cold, too fat, too skinny, and the list goes on. We take simple things for granted. We never stop to think things could always be worse. However, there is a flip-side to this: we can do things to make ourselves more satisfied and happier.

People complain about many things, but I have noticed most complain about their weight and job – two things most of us have total control over. If you’re unhappy with your weight, then eat healthy and exercise. If you’re unhappy at work, then it’s time to look for something else. Simple, right?

I’m not saying it’s easy to lose weight or get another job, but it is easy to take the steps to get there. For example, you can’t write a book without writing the first chapter. You can’t get your driver’s license without learning to drive. Same concept – you have to start somewhere.

Listening to people complain wears on others around them and affects others’ moods. I’m not the happy police, but I will say when I have been unhappy at work, I found another job or applied for one. If I felt out of shape and my clothes were too tight, I cut back sugar and started exercising. If I find myself complaining too much, I stop. I don’t want to hear myself drone on about something, so I know no one else does either. At the end of the day, I know I did my best to resolve the issue instead of complaining about it.

I don’t rant often, but recently change has been all around me. I told a good friend 2014 so far has been the year of change and new beginnings, and we have all been just fine. For the most part, we’ve all been happier, too.

So, why don’t more people take action? Because it’s easier to whine and complain. Change takes balls, and it’s often inconvenient and scary. But it’s often worth it as well.

What actions have you taken to make your life better?

 

Final Thoughts on Robin Williams

On By R. PettyIn OpinionsLeave a comment

This week, we at RevPub decided to pay our respects to Robin Williams. It’s rare we are affected by celebrity news, but this announcement hit us especially hard. It chipped away a piece of my heart. I remember standing there thinking … he was the genie. The genie is gone.

I grew up watching Robin Williams. I remember my grandma loving Hook, my brother loving Aladdin, everyone loving Mrs. Doubtfire. I watched his movies because he starred in them. He made me laugh and sometimes cry, and I loved his smile too. The genie in Aladdin remains one of my favorite Disney characters of all time, and I still quote and sing songs from the movie – especially “you ain’t ever had a friend like me.” That movie is still my favorite Disney movie and always will be. Robin Williams made that movie a hit.

The night of his passing, I watched the Weapons of Self Destruction stand-up and laughed to tears. I had a unique, strange experience while watching it though. When he discussed drug abuse and usage (specifically acid), the streaming on my TV slowed way down, so he had this trippy glow around his arms, head, and legs as he moved. At first, I thought it was part of the show (for TV audiences) because it was like watching the show under the influence of something, and it fit so well. From what I’ve heard about acid, it would compare to an acid trip lol. Once I realized it wasn’t part of the show, I stopped streaming and resumed, and the slow-mo glow was gone. As crazy as it sounds, it was as if he showed his appreciation for my watching the stand-up that night. I believe in spirits and energy, and that was too weird to not acknowledge.

It’s no secret he had his demons – we all do. Substance abuse, alcoholism, depression all tormented him, but many creative geniuses suffer in the same ways. Hell, schools around the world teach classes on the authors alone. Learning about the suicide hurt me more than his passing. This person dedicated his entire life to making others happy – even if only for a moment – and felt so low and hopeless he took his own life. Some believe people who commit suicide should not be celebrated, but it doesn’t matter how we die, it’s how we live. And he lived for others. With that said, I want to pay my respects to an actor who made me laugh throughout my entire life. We will miss him.
My Favorite Robin Williams movies:

Good Morning, Vietnam

Hook

Aladdin

Mrs. Doubtfire

Jumanji

The Birdcage

Jack

Flubber

One Hour Photo

Insomnia

In Memorium: Robin Williams

On By James CastroIn OpinionsLeave a comment

This past Sunday I was hanging around the house by myself playing some games, working on some writing, and I wanted to find something fun, light-hearted, and entertaining to watch or listen to. Scrolling through my Netflix list I came across one of my favorite comedies, one of the movies that can make me laugh out loud over and over, even if I watch it five times in a row… The Birdcage.

Though it really is an ensemble cast, the heart and soul of the whole film is the one and only Robin Williams. Seeing him at his best, so lively, as the owner of a high-class drag club on Sunday made the news of his passing on Monday even more shocking than it would have been…and it would have been anyway.

His performance as Armand Goldman in The Birdcage is his entire career summed up to me. At once he was completely hilarious, pithy, witty, sarcastic, and goofy; yet he also possessed the subtle gentleness of a father, and portrayed a gay nightclub owner with style and grace rather than completely over the top and flamboyant, though he could swing that when the scene or situation called for it.   That to me is Robin Williams. We’ve seen him be all of those things and more on screen, and he’s one person who, in interviews, always seemed to be four or five steps ahead and doing circles around his interviewer in a way not seen since the likes of Groucho Marx.

When I heard the news on Monday I was transported to two places in my memory: the first was the early Nineties. I used to love standup comedy and watched loads of them on HBO or Comedy Central. I saw Gallagher, Penn and Teller, Sinbad, and Bill Cosby: Himself (still one of my favorites). It was during this period I saw Robin Williams: Off the Wall, a rousing, fast-paced, comedy barrage by one of its masters. Despite his many and varied roles; comedy, drama, or even suspense, he was always that person to me. A young soul just waiting for emotion, whatever emotion was surging through him at the moment, to pour out in effortless waves.

The second memory was when I actually saw him in person once, if only for a moment while manning a booth at a book festival in Nashville. It was a weekend he was performing a concert during a stand-up tour and, wearing dark sunglasses and a casual street clothes, he walked by slowly, just taking in the event. It was early in the evening and the festival was clearing out with very few people still there. But he was there. And that moment sticks with me. He wasn’t there seeking attention or, alternatively, trying to hide from the public. He was just there. As a patron. He waved as a few people noticed him, a small subtle move, and gave us a small smile as he went by.  We all just kind of looked at each other in stunned silence until a fellow booth-worker said, “wait…was that Robin Williams?” It was indeed, and I’m reminded of it now.  He passed by us far too quickly but in that instant gave us all a thrill.  And a smile.

He’ll be missed.