Video gaming. It's been a passion of mine since I first had a Gameboy in my hands. What started as a small black and white screen has evolved (my first game was Pokemon Red) over time to a flat screen that can render the newest games in stunning three dimensional detail.
As gaming changed, so did my relationship with it. Gaming became less a hobby and more an obsession, not only a source of entertainment but an intellectual resource. In my college career I've written an essay on Mass Effect, argued games as art and may even be teaching an entire course revolving around games this time next year. However, this is not the purpose of my blog.
Well then what is? Great question.
I'm not entirely sure. What I mean by this is that it will most likely become a mercurial creature that will probably reflect my own head-space (which is a hodgepodge of random thoughts and ideas). Essentially my aim is to document my gaming goals and progress. I'll most likely dissect elements of different games in articles but my main area of focus is on a personal gaming metamorphosis. I seek to transform myself from the casual gamer to what is known as the “hardcore”. These elite are known mostly in the circles of their expertise and there are several elements I'd like to explore:
- What does it take to be a hardcore contender?
- What kind of culture surrounds the hardcore community?
- Do I have what it takes?
Only time will tell for the latter. Now, onto logistics. Obviously there are several arenas of hardcore gaming play that is mostly relegated to genre. Namely: FPS, RTS, MMORPG (regarding PvP), Fighting and those games that defy certain categorization (League of Legends I am looking at you). Competition against other players is obviously the focal point here. And while I do intend on getting to all of them at some point across the duration of my crazy venture, as a poor undergrad I can only tackle a few at a time.
And just to keep you (currently nonexistent) readers hanging, here's a breakdown of upcoming topics and possibilities:
*Games I am currently working on and will be writing about: League of Legends, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (as soon as I can get my hands on it), Skyrim
*Video reviews/discussion?
*The end of an epic: Mass Effect 3 (and the series in general)
*The future of the MMORPG: A look at the free to play model, Bioware's The Old Republic and more
If you seek to become a hardcore gamer than the first step is to beat a retro game that is universally seen as man-crushingly difficult.I say retro in the sense that it has to be something in the time of your childhood (but you didn't have to own it). IMO this venture will change you. You will laugh, and you will most certainly cry but you will not stop playing until you have beaten the machine.
ReplyDeletePossible candidates for your age range are:
1. Castlevania IV (snes)
2. Demon's Crest (god forbid)(snes)
3. Really any of the megaman series. Though the X series is easier.