One of the things that you learn early on in playing RPG's is that a character that is to one-sided is useless. If your character is strong, but slow, then he'll never be able to hit anything. If your character is highly cunning, but has no stamina, then he'll be the smartest dead man ever.
You see, putting all of your eggs in one basket, whether in life or in a video game, is almost always a bad decision. If you go to a casino, and you bet all of the money that you have on one number, then you're very foolish. The odds are against you winning, but, if you do win, you are just a rich fool. Of course, that example is obvious to most of us, but, for some reason, when we are thinking about situations outside of the casino, we are unable to put two and two together like we should. It happens in the real estate markets, the stock markets, and even in small start-ups.
It's not that any of these are bad things to get into, but you need to diversify, otherwise, if something goes under, you could lose everything that you have.
You see, this applies to more than just finances. It applies to individuals as well. If you focus all of your energies in athletics while you are in high school, and neglect the scholastic aspects of your education, because you're going to be in the Major Leagues, well, that is a very competitive market to enter. If you think that you could be the next athletic superstar, then, by all means, work hard at it, but don't neglect your studies. Otherwise you could end up working a menial job because you didn't make the big leagues, and you don't have the knowledge to do much of anything else. To all of my fellow geeks nodding your heads smugly, the same applies to you. To neglect your physical conditioning so that you can play more games, read more books, and learn more is not the most intelligent decision that you can make. You don't want to know everything that there is to know about everything, but be unable to bend over and tie your shoelaces while breathing, do you?
The important thing to remember is that you must have balance. Just like a balanced character on a RPG will be able to perform better in a battle, being a balanced individual will allow you to adapt to any situation that may come your way with ease. There's a lot of stuff to do out there. Try them out.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
An Answer
Have you ever not known what to do? I'm sure everyone has had this problem from time to time. A situation arises, and it is different from anything that you've ever seen. It seems that no matter how you push, or how you pull, you can't find a way to get past it. You're stuck.
You wonder why this had to happen to you, and you wonder why you even bothered trying. It's pretty standard stuff. You see, the world is full of obstacles, and you can't do anything without having something rise up in front of you that can't just go around, or without coming against something that you have to solve. Life is full of puzzles.
There are many video games that require you to solve puzzles, and, in fact, there is a whole genre of them out there for you to try your hand at. Puzzles are actually contained in almost every genre of video game out there though, and they almost all require that you solve them before you move on. So, when you get to them, you try all of the techniques that you know of, and you try your best to solve it. Sometimes though, the puzzle is so difficult that you can't seem to find a solution. You try moving the pieces backwards, you try placing them in randomly, and you even try begging the game to let you by, but it is all to no avail. So...what do you do now?
Do you cast the game aside and go find something that doesn't make you try so hard?
You could do that, but, if you did, you would be bypassing the most simple of solutions. You are playing a game, and there are millions of copies of whatever particular game you are playing available, and a great many of them have already been purchased. That means that you are not the only one that is playing this game.
There are many gamers out there who are playing the same game, and some of them, regardless of your aspirations otherwise, are much better at this kind of thing than you, whether through experience or talent, and, that puzzle, the one that is stopping your progress, and is keeping you from enjoying the rest of your game, has already been solved. All you have to do is look for the answers from someone who has done it before.
It's not cheating to ask for help, and it increases your chances of winning. You see, it's your game, and, if you bought it because you wanted to be stumped, then it's perfectly fine to continue beating your head against the wall, but, if you bought this game because you wanted to play and enjoy it, the answers are out there.
This holds true for the obstacles in our life as well. No one said that you had to beat this yourself, and no one said that you couldn't ask for help. It's your choice. Your situation is not unique, because there are nearly seven billion people living in the world today, and at least one percent of them has been through the same situation that you are going through right now. You can chose to do it by yourself, and to have your own experience, but it's better to use the experiences of someone who has made it through this before. They have fallen in the pitfalls that are on this path, and they have already climbed back out.
Give it a shot. Talk to someone. Enjoy the game instead of spending hours throwing your controller at the wall.
How can we make progress if we start over from the beginning every generation?
You wonder why this had to happen to you, and you wonder why you even bothered trying. It's pretty standard stuff. You see, the world is full of obstacles, and you can't do anything without having something rise up in front of you that can't just go around, or without coming against something that you have to solve. Life is full of puzzles.
There are many video games that require you to solve puzzles, and, in fact, there is a whole genre of them out there for you to try your hand at. Puzzles are actually contained in almost every genre of video game out there though, and they almost all require that you solve them before you move on. So, when you get to them, you try all of the techniques that you know of, and you try your best to solve it. Sometimes though, the puzzle is so difficult that you can't seem to find a solution. You try moving the pieces backwards, you try placing them in randomly, and you even try begging the game to let you by, but it is all to no avail. So...what do you do now?
Do you cast the game aside and go find something that doesn't make you try so hard?
You could do that, but, if you did, you would be bypassing the most simple of solutions. You are playing a game, and there are millions of copies of whatever particular game you are playing available, and a great many of them have already been purchased. That means that you are not the only one that is playing this game.
There are many gamers out there who are playing the same game, and some of them, regardless of your aspirations otherwise, are much better at this kind of thing than you, whether through experience or talent, and, that puzzle, the one that is stopping your progress, and is keeping you from enjoying the rest of your game, has already been solved. All you have to do is look for the answers from someone who has done it before.
It's not cheating to ask for help, and it increases your chances of winning. You see, it's your game, and, if you bought it because you wanted to be stumped, then it's perfectly fine to continue beating your head against the wall, but, if you bought this game because you wanted to play and enjoy it, the answers are out there.
This holds true for the obstacles in our life as well. No one said that you had to beat this yourself, and no one said that you couldn't ask for help. It's your choice. Your situation is not unique, because there are nearly seven billion people living in the world today, and at least one percent of them has been through the same situation that you are going through right now. You can chose to do it by yourself, and to have your own experience, but it's better to use the experiences of someone who has made it through this before. They have fallen in the pitfalls that are on this path, and they have already climbed back out.
Give it a shot. Talk to someone. Enjoy the game instead of spending hours throwing your controller at the wall.
How can we make progress if we start over from the beginning every generation?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The High Road
Life is full of decisions. Every day we decide on everything; from what to wear to who we will talk to. When you wake up in the morning you have to decide whether you will get out of bed or roll over and go back to sleep. When night falls, you have to decide whether you will go to sleep now or stay up for a few more hours. Every second, it seems, we have another decision to make, another path to take, and we have to decide what the best path for us will be.
In video games, as well, we have many decisions to make. Often, when you're running around, exploring this new world that was created for your character, you will find yourself at a crossroads, and you will have to decide which way to go. Will you go down the path that everyone else is walking down, or will you go down the one that is overgrown with weeds. Will you walk along the path that is broad, or will you take the narrow path. Will you take the high road, or will you take the low road. Often, because we want to win the game, we will take whichever path seems the easiest. It's just instinct.
We are so used to doing this in life, to always trying to take the easiest path, that we don't want to lose time that could being used to win the game. What happens, though, if we do take the untrodden path? Programmers have a finite amount of time and resources that can be spent writing code, and, so, they are unlikely to place something in the game that does not serve a purpose. The truth is that you are meant to take the more difficult path. The way may be more difficult, and there may await an even greater challenge at the end of it, but the reward will be great too. The reward may be bragging rights, or an item that makes the game easier, or even parts of the story that you would not otherwise discover, but there is always some reward.
The same holds true for life. When you come to a crossroads, or when it comes time for you to chose between the easy path and the difficult path, think carefully before you make your decision. Every one else may have taken the easy path, because, hey, it's easy, but what might lie down the difficult path? There may be more challenges, but what will you learn? Will you gain the right to say that you did something that no one else would dare? Will you learn something about life that only could be learned by going the way untrodden?
There are so many things that we miss in life, because we are to scared to take the difficult path. There are so many treasures that we can gain, and, sometimes, the only reason that we miss them is because we never bothered looking.
Take the other path. You only get to play this game once.
In video games, as well, we have many decisions to make. Often, when you're running around, exploring this new world that was created for your character, you will find yourself at a crossroads, and you will have to decide which way to go. Will you go down the path that everyone else is walking down, or will you go down the one that is overgrown with weeds. Will you walk along the path that is broad, or will you take the narrow path. Will you take the high road, or will you take the low road. Often, because we want to win the game, we will take whichever path seems the easiest. It's just instinct.
We are so used to doing this in life, to always trying to take the easiest path, that we don't want to lose time that could being used to win the game. What happens, though, if we do take the untrodden path? Programmers have a finite amount of time and resources that can be spent writing code, and, so, they are unlikely to place something in the game that does not serve a purpose. The truth is that you are meant to take the more difficult path. The way may be more difficult, and there may await an even greater challenge at the end of it, but the reward will be great too. The reward may be bragging rights, or an item that makes the game easier, or even parts of the story that you would not otherwise discover, but there is always some reward.
The same holds true for life. When you come to a crossroads, or when it comes time for you to chose between the easy path and the difficult path, think carefully before you make your decision. Every one else may have taken the easy path, because, hey, it's easy, but what might lie down the difficult path? There may be more challenges, but what will you learn? Will you gain the right to say that you did something that no one else would dare? Will you learn something about life that only could be learned by going the way untrodden?
There are so many things that we miss in life, because we are to scared to take the difficult path. There are so many treasures that we can gain, and, sometimes, the only reason that we miss them is because we never bothered looking.
Take the other path. You only get to play this game once.
Monday, April 19, 2010
If You Can't Find the Weak Spot
Have you ever played a First Person Shooter game? Not sure? Well, if you've ever played Doom, Halo, or Gears of War, then you've played a FPS. First Person Shooter games are so called because you play from the perspective of the Shooter. The character that you are playing is usually some sort of super-soldier, and you are usually far outnumbered, and facing enemies that, at times, are much more powerful than you.
FPS's get a lot of bad press. There are many politicians and political pundits who feel that the violence in games such as these is causing violence in our youth, and that, as such, it should not be allowed. Never mind the fact that violent crime in America has been steadily, except for a brief spike in 2005-2006, decreasing in percentage for at lease fifteen years, they seem to see it as a problem.
But, as with all things that we do, there is something positive to be gained from FPS's. You see, video games, much like every human creation out there, are reflections of life. That is not to say that your life is walking around shooting things, but that in life there are struggles for you, and, much of the time, it can seem that you are in a constant battle with enemies who outnumber and outgun you.
So, how do you win?
Well, in FPS's, most of the time, the best thing to do is aim for the weak spot. You see, in the game, when you are fighting, there are often areas on the enemy that you can focus your attack on in order to defeat them in short order. A special glowing area, or possibly the eyes, or, in some cases, you have to try to flank the enemy so that you can target their back.
Again, these are a mirror to life, and so how can we apply that? We aim for the weak spot. Sometimes the most difficult of circumstances is made simple if we just know where to attack. There are times, however, when we can't really figure out where we are supposed to shoot. Sometimes we face an enemy that appears to be invulnerable, and does not seem to have any weaknesses.
This happens in FPS's as well, and, when it does, there is only one way to find that weak spot, if there is a weak spot. Just target every possible point that you can.
So, if you're facing a situation, and there doesn't seem to be a way to win, when there doesn't seem to be a weak spot...try everything.
Something is bound to work.
FPS's get a lot of bad press. There are many politicians and political pundits who feel that the violence in games such as these is causing violence in our youth, and that, as such, it should not be allowed. Never mind the fact that violent crime in America has been steadily, except for a brief spike in 2005-2006, decreasing in percentage for at lease fifteen years, they seem to see it as a problem.
But, as with all things that we do, there is something positive to be gained from FPS's. You see, video games, much like every human creation out there, are reflections of life. That is not to say that your life is walking around shooting things, but that in life there are struggles for you, and, much of the time, it can seem that you are in a constant battle with enemies who outnumber and outgun you.
So, how do you win?
Well, in FPS's, most of the time, the best thing to do is aim for the weak spot. You see, in the game, when you are fighting, there are often areas on the enemy that you can focus your attack on in order to defeat them in short order. A special glowing area, or possibly the eyes, or, in some cases, you have to try to flank the enemy so that you can target their back.
Again, these are a mirror to life, and so how can we apply that? We aim for the weak spot. Sometimes the most difficult of circumstances is made simple if we just know where to attack. There are times, however, when we can't really figure out where we are supposed to shoot. Sometimes we face an enemy that appears to be invulnerable, and does not seem to have any weaknesses.
This happens in FPS's as well, and, when it does, there is only one way to find that weak spot, if there is a weak spot. Just target every possible point that you can.
So, if you're facing a situation, and there doesn't seem to be a way to win, when there doesn't seem to be a weak spot...try everything.
Something is bound to work.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Lose the Battle...Win the War
Hello fellow gamers!
One of the things that I always have tried to do while playing video games is win. Every battle, every level, every time. I don't want to just beat the game, I want to beat everyone in the game. I want to get to the point that it's almost laughable for the AI opponent to attack me. I love when a game has a more advanced AI, so that enemies that are to much weaker than me just run away. Yeah, I know, maybe that's not healthy, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
It's not just video games that I do this in, you know? I've always applied the same approach to my life. I don't want to be good. I want to be the best. To me, everything has been a contest. I have turned discussions into arguments, scuffles into brawls, and I've turned relationships into a PR campaign. A fact of life, however, is that, no matter how good you are, there is always someone out there that is better. In my life, when I came to the realization that I had lost, I fell into despair. I felt like I had not just failed, but that I was a failure.
Failure is such an ugly word, isn't it?
I could win in the game though, and that certainly made them more enjoyable to me. Eventually, I received Final Fantasy VII as a gift, and I loved playing that game! The story was a little confusing, but it was good, and the gameplay was so great. I played as Cloud for hours, built up characters, and enjoyed the story that unfolded in front of me. But, then, something happened that shocked me incredibly. There was this girl, Aeris, that was the main character's love interest, and she was written as a very sweet girl. There was another girl that was also interested in cloud, but she was Plan B, you know? And, then, the main villain killed Aeris.
Whoa.
How did that happen? I thought maybe I'd done something wrong, and so I reset and tried again...She died again. This was not making any sense to me! She was his love interest! I spent hours making her better, she can't be gone!
You could beat up the villain after he killed her, but it didn't bring her back. She was gone.
It was the first time since I first started playing video games that I was actually emotionally involved, because she was mine, and the game took her away from me.
I lost.
But, you know what? I just lost the battle. I won the game. You see, I learned in video games something that life had not yet been able to teach me. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you are not going to win. Sometimes, you aren't meant to win. Have you ever wanted something, and tried hard to get it, but it just didn't work out? That happens, it's life.
Sometimes we can't see past the failure in our face to the triumph that is ahead of us. stop focusing on your defeat.
Try something else.
Thanks for reading! Please, tell me what you think.
One of the things that I always have tried to do while playing video games is win. Every battle, every level, every time. I don't want to just beat the game, I want to beat everyone in the game. I want to get to the point that it's almost laughable for the AI opponent to attack me. I love when a game has a more advanced AI, so that enemies that are to much weaker than me just run away. Yeah, I know, maybe that's not healthy, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
It's not just video games that I do this in, you know? I've always applied the same approach to my life. I don't want to be good. I want to be the best. To me, everything has been a contest. I have turned discussions into arguments, scuffles into brawls, and I've turned relationships into a PR campaign. A fact of life, however, is that, no matter how good you are, there is always someone out there that is better. In my life, when I came to the realization that I had lost, I fell into despair. I felt like I had not just failed, but that I was a failure.
Failure is such an ugly word, isn't it?
I could win in the game though, and that certainly made them more enjoyable to me. Eventually, I received Final Fantasy VII as a gift, and I loved playing that game! The story was a little confusing, but it was good, and the gameplay was so great. I played as Cloud for hours, built up characters, and enjoyed the story that unfolded in front of me. But, then, something happened that shocked me incredibly. There was this girl, Aeris, that was the main character's love interest, and she was written as a very sweet girl. There was another girl that was also interested in cloud, but she was Plan B, you know? And, then, the main villain killed Aeris.
Whoa.
How did that happen? I thought maybe I'd done something wrong, and so I reset and tried again...She died again. This was not making any sense to me! She was his love interest! I spent hours making her better, she can't be gone!
You could beat up the villain after he killed her, but it didn't bring her back. She was gone.
It was the first time since I first started playing video games that I was actually emotionally involved, because she was mine, and the game took her away from me.
I lost.
But, you know what? I just lost the battle. I won the game. You see, I learned in video games something that life had not yet been able to teach me. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you are not going to win. Sometimes, you aren't meant to win. Have you ever wanted something, and tried hard to get it, but it just didn't work out? That happens, it's life.
Sometimes we can't see past the failure in our face to the triumph that is ahead of us. stop focusing on your defeat.
Try something else.
Thanks for reading! Please, tell me what you think.
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