"Cradle" Review

Imagine you wake up in a room littered with artifacts that are meant to reveal an intricate story with the option to flesh out the details. Then imagine that room is covered from top to bottom with pamphlets, newspapers, advertisements, consumer electronics, and other items for you to scour in search of answers. Now Imagine you have pieces to the puzzle and you find yourself trying to complete it, without a sense of direction or reference to go by. Essentially you have the pieces of three different puzzles and only one can be completed as the game allows. This can be a genius approach or exercises in rage and insanity, it all depends how its executed.

You find yourself in a beautiful landscape that has a retro-pastel feel to it. Although it feel spacious and open you quickly find yourself focused on just a fraction of the world. The story is about self discovery and it begins by waking you up from a dream and leaves you to exploring the room with no explanation on what you are supposed to accomplish. As you slowly come to grips with the world around you, pieces start falling into place, diaries are found and memories and there to connect to. The game urges you to find out what has happened to the world around you, while giving you no direction. That is until you find a box that contains a processing core that will activate an android that was laying there lifeless when you woke up. 

This android will give you clear objective and a clue to what had happened to the world. I don't want to give spoilers and ruin the story, but depending on your play style it can take a couple hours to flesh out the foundation of the story. The developers took risk and obviously showed a lot of respect to the gamers that would pick this game up. I can see this being frustrating for a lot of casual and hardcore gamers alike, but there is a payoff as you play longer. I am just not sure even now after hours of gameplay if its enough to recommend the game to others?

THE GOOD

The game is beautiful and I found the graphic style was fitting. I also enjoyed how intricate the story was it literally draws you in the more you progress. Their are several surprising moments that will bring a smile to your face and the feeling of self discovery was rewarding and urges you to keep playing and pushing forward. The developers at Flying Cafe implemented many fresh ideas that other developers have not attempted, I can safely say this is the most original games I have played this year thus far. 

THE BAD

There is a serious lack of direction when you start, I can see this turning off many gamers who want jump right in and find a great narrative. You find yourself in a beautiful world that is largely empty of any real substance. What you do find is not relevant to your progression and is basically eye candy. Your starting location is where most of the gameplay occurs, so if you love to explore, you’ll most likely be left unsatisfied. Pacing was extremely slow and there is very little urgency to get anything done, this was my biggest complaint, there was no real antagonist and I never felt hurried or in danger.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The story would of benefited greatly by providing motivation to discover yourself. There was no sense of danger or antagonist to keep you hurrying along or pushing you to find answers faster. Adding some sort psychological clock, a timer, a count down till you’d be overtaken by contamination would of added a sense of dread and anxiety that would of made the gaming experience better. Having a beautiful world that lack in in true substance seems to be a huge missed opportunity and some initial direction would of helped ease the early frustration.

2.5/5

A big thank you to "Flying Cafe" for providing a copy of the game to review. 

The Killing Floor 2 Review

Expectations are made to be exceeded or can be used as a gauge for disappointment. When I got my grubby gamer hands on Killing Floor 2, I had certain expectations based on the original Killing Floor and the word of mouth of other gamers. Like many others, I have played Zombie mode in Call of Duty, and have also been inundated with dozens of Zombie knock offs. Many of these have not remotely lived up to the expectation set forth by the developers and marketing teams. So you can imagine my surprise when my experience met my expectations.   

THE GOOD

Killing Floor 2 is straightforward horde mode with up to six players that work together defend against wave after wave of increasingly harder zombies. The variety is nice as you face skinny zombies that can overwhelm you in by sheer numbers and large bulky Zeds with Chainsaws and bad hygiene. Plus the occasional cloaked zombie and crawlers that will literally get the drop on you and make you jump out your chair. When you think you're done, you face a boss that will overwhelm an unpaired squad. You do have some control of the fight by sealing off certain doors and making use of the level design, but there is never a point where you are not “white knuckling” the controller/mouse and keeping an eye on your “Six”. Zombies will continue to pore out ventilation shafts, sewers and various other openings forcing you to stay on your toes.   

When you talk about a game like Killing Floor, the first and only thing to worry about is survival. A teammate dying can cripple the success of the rest of your squad and leave them extremely vulnerable. Teamwork is a must as I found myself overwhelmed by even the slightest number of Zed. Being cut off from your team or not communicating and building up the perks system strategically will end your experience prematurely. Ammo conservation, and careful weapon choice will be the difference between success or failure. That is what takes the game to the next level, you have melee weapons that sever limbs and wonderfully designed guns that look and sound amazing. The choice of when and how to use these weapons will contribute to your success. As you watch the gore increase and the odds get overwhelming, you find your heart beating out your chest and a smile on your face. There is always something satisfying about watching a Zombies head explode and the blood pour out of every crevasse of the game. Frankly, when I play this game with friends I had a lot of laughs and fun, but don't expect an easy ride. The perk system and the mastery of situational weapon usage will take time to hammer out with your team.   

THE BAD

Since the game is in its early access there are still some balancing issues that need to be worked on. Overall I feel like I got what was advertised, a bloody team based horde mode. There were no talks of great depth or RPG elements but there is some depth hidden behind the layers of death and blood.  I found a game with alot of polish even though it's in the “Early Access” and I would recommend this to gamers who enjoy a good hardcore zombie mode with friends.   

THE OPPORTUNITY  

Even with a solid game like Killing Floor 2 there is an opportunity to make the game better with some more variety with the maps and boss. I would also like a mode that never ends but gets increasingly hard and/or more expensive to upgrade and rearm.

  
4 out of 5 for the sheer unadulterated fun that I have when I load this game up!   

Adventures in Streaming: Episode 2 Day 15-30

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Twitch Journal day 15-30

My evolution as a gamer has been drastic. As the industry has changed, so have I. I have constantly been adapting to the ebb and flow of the technology and culture. The latest leap has been my introduction into streaming, and it has been an especially expensive (and time consuming) change. Streaming has shaken the foundation of my gaming life just as online gaming did in the late 90’s. I am here in the front line trying to embrace this new avenue, and I enjoy my favorite form of escapism. I hope you enjoyed my first journal entry as I became a twitch streamer, and I hope you will find value as I continue the series.

Day 20

I have seen continual growth in my stream, but I have found that my followers discovered me playing a specific game and they prefer to watch me play that game. When they come back to the stream, some are disappointed when I moved on to something different. It seemed that I inadvertently stumbled to a fork in the road. I had to ask myself, “Am I streaming to see how many people I could get to follow me, or am I streaming to enjoy my gaming in a more social setting?” This is an important question, because it will lead me down two entirely different roads. If I was being honest, I will say that it feels good when someone clicks that follow button. It means that they found value in my stream, and they want to come back and watch me again. The question is posed of will someone enjoy watching you game, if you don’t enjoy the game you are playing? I don’t think they would, so I chose to focus on the games that interest me the most. During day 20 I started playing “The Long Dark” an amazingly beautiful survival game that is in the Beta stages. It is also a bit slow, and it is not the ideal game when it comes to streaming. I focused on vocalizing my train of thought, so that my audience could hear what I was thinking and why I was making the decisions I was making. During this game I met other gamers who love the game and actually coached me and helped me through some difficult challenges. By the end of day 20 I was at 62 followers.

Another phenomenon happened during these couple of weeks. I met other streamers and gamers that appreciated what I was doing and began to support my stream in other ways. Apexfamily7 is a PS3 streamer and has amassed a fairly loyal following. Although our streams are vastly different in content and culture, he started hosting my channel for his viewers once a week and also sent some of his followers to my channel. It gave me a tremendous boost. Another twitch viewer SKYL1NK asked to speak to me off stream and helped me make my stream more professional. He helped me trouble shoot some of the technology issues I had, and he gave me ideas to make the stream look better. Others come in nightly and moderate the chat, DJ the music, and we welcome the lurkers and new visitors alike. It truly takes a village to raise a streamer.

Day 25

When I started streaming, it felt like it was a solo endeavor. I spent many nights responding to the chat room comments and questions with a method that resembled a monologue. When I switched to a game called “7 Days to Die” I created my own server, and I invited some of my followers into the stream. Eventually I had the same 5-6 people joining me every night as I publicly streamed our survival efforts. I know this is something, as I grow, that I can’t continually do, but it made the conversational weight of streaming 5 hours a night a little lighter. The side effect is I had less people chatting and talking in the stream, and I felt like I lost a little control over the conversational content while I did stream. Neither was detrimental to the entertainment value, but I realized that this group streaming is not something I can continually maintain. The other observation is I felt I had a harder time getting new followers because there was an identity crisis with in the stream. Although I still dominated the conversation, the others contributed and added to the conversation. A new viewer might find this a bit confusing and may not have the ability to connect to me as a streamer because of all the varying personalities. In contrast, I felt like I made some deeper gaming connections as we worked together to survive and fight off the zombie hordes. Grew to 78 followers.

Day 27

Do you ever have those days where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong? When you’re on a stream, a simple mistake or technical issue can magnify your stress and make something small seem gigantic. Don’t get me wrong, midstream trouble shooting is something all streamers must be capable of handling, but sometimes there is not a fix.

My issues started when I tried to stream my Xbox One through my Elgato to my streaming software. I didn’t think about it at the time, but I changed all the settings I had meticulously set up through multiple tutorials and blog postings. In one swoop I wiped everything out for the sake of streaming some Battlefield Hardline with friends. Since I am writing this series to inform new streamers of the highs and lows of streaming I wanted to take a moment to say STOP!!! Whatever you do, don’t ever make sweeping changes on your settings unless you are prepared to run the world’s worse stream. My mic was echoing, my frame rates dropped dramatically, and my stream consistently refreshed. My poor followers had to watch commercial after commercial because of my misstep. Not all of this is attributed to changing my settings, but the majority of it was due to my lack of overall knowledge on what settings can truly affect my stream. So my advice is once you get set up, it does not mean you’re done. Learn the technology; don’t leave it up to Youtube videos and blogs. On day 27 I gained 0 followers, but had grown to 87 followers’ total, playing mostly obscure survival games. This is quickly becoming my niche.

Day 29-30

I stumbled back into the game that many of my followers found me in. As I played, I found myself at the top of the stream board because I had 14 people watching the stream at the time. I ended up gaining 16 followers on day 29 and 17 on day 30. I realized the profound effect being the number one streamer in a particular game really can be on a streamer. I keep hearing of people who grew by hundreds in a couple days. I am talking about nerdy gamers, not beautiful women that stream with cleavage and a great smile. They found a niche and grew a fan base on that niche. I am still finding myself as a streamer, but I do think I am finding my audience and slowly building a solid community that comes out to support day in and day out. After month one, I ended up with 105 followers. My theory is as I gain more followers it will be much easier to grow at a faster pace. We will see if that holds true going forward… see you all in 30 days.

Adventures in Streaming: Episode One: Day 1-14

So I fell in love with gaming all over again.  It sounds strange, but as things began to get stale I found myself looking for other ways, other games, other methods to enjoy my gaming time. I spend my evenings online with a group of friends, some of which I have gamed with for over a decade. Together we run a thriving clan that games almost every night of the week. Still, gaming was getting stale, and I didn't know what to do about it. I thought maybe I have beat enough games, played enough online matches and the thrill wasn't there anymore. I was losing my decade long obsession…

Then I stumbled upon twitch. At first I found it awkward, and I thought all the hype was misplaced. What I came to realize is each streamer has their own flavor, and one streamer I may might not particularly like, may be loved by others and vice versa. I started looking at specific games, and I was clicking through streams until I found Nosterex  (http://www.twitch.tv/nosterex). He is an older gamer from Australia that really struck a chord with me. Not only did I enjoyed his stream, but I began to look forward to the time when he typically logged on. I even donated to his cause so that he could afford a more professional microphone. I felt invested in his games even though I wasn't playing them myself.

This was my introduction to a new way of gaming, “streaming”, and an unforgiving, unrelenting, and very public way of exposing your short comings. Keep in mind, our gaming culture is not kind to the new guy, it didn't matter that I have gamed for over 25 years, it only mattered that I was a Newb. The issue I faced was what kind of streamer did I want to be, and the truth is it didn't matter. No matter how much I wanted to play a certain role, I always ended up being me. I wanted to stream with no cussing...well that last 20 minutes. I wanted to be that super informed gamer...but there is always someone who knows more than me despite my research. I wanted to be that professional gamer people learned from...but I knew those days were over because my hand eye coordination couldn't maintain that facade. So I dove in, updated my PC, and researched the different streaming software their support apps and I started streaming as just me!

Before I began, I talked to three different people who had been streaming consistently, and I asked for their sage advice. All three said the same things, don’t stream really popular games right off the bat because you won’t build a community that way. I was also told that consistency is key, set up a schedule and keep to it as much as possible. Lastly, make sure you interact with your audience as much as possible. Make the stream about them, and they will make it about you. I thought this was good advice, so I picked a low budget early access game called Stranded Deep, and I began under the gaming alias MindscapeTMFL…

Day 1, I could not explain to you how awkward it is making your inner dialog your outer dialog, but I can tell you it is 10x worse when there is no one there to listen to you. I had a couple people jump in and watch, but most just stayed a minute or two and then left. Eventually a more established streamer that was higher up the play list called it a night and I picked up 3 viewers. An amazing thing happened:  for the next 3 hours these viewers made the stream magical. They chatted, joked, and gave me advice and steps to further my survival. I talked back and started naming deadly sharks after them and followed their direction. I was in control, but so were they and when the stream ended I felt successful and emotionally exhausted. I picked up 4 followers…

Day 7 I realized that after a week it takes time to gain a following, not that I had visions of grandeur, but I did expect more opportunities than I got in the first week. Essentially early on while you stream it’s a grind, you literally add one follower at a time, and they usually stumble into a game that you’re playing when no one else is playing it. Half the time you don’t know your being watched because it take a while for the stream to be updated. By that time, you’re so used to talking to yourself you forget that actual human beings will jump on and see if your worthy of their time. It can be frustrating, but it’s like most things in life, you have to pay your dues before you get successful at anything.  It took me 4 sessions to break 25 followers; my initial goal was 100 followers in the first 6 months so I considered this a success. I also had another first, I had someone donate to my stream. It was shocking they went out of their way to financially support what I was doing. It was an amazing feeling! 

Day 13 I had my most productive stream to date, I was given an assignment to review a strange game called  "I am Bread.” I decided to stream it, so I could get a feel from other gamers what their initial impressions were. The game itself (which is amazing http://www.the-gamers-lounge.com/scott-wood/2015/5/5/i-am-bread-review) was hard and frustrating, and the protagonist in the game is a dirty and mentally unstable man. I just started a monologue on why it had to be a man, and I questioned how anyone would live like this. Eventually I had a good amount of people watching and interacting in the stream. They began to support me, and I gained 11 followers in one day.

Day 14 This day was important, I was warned about trolls, and I knew they were lurking out there looking for easy prey. When I started my stream I had a group of 4 people jump in all at once and “follow me” almost immediately, which typically doesn't happen. Soon they began back seat gaming me to death, cursing, and making my small community of viewers uncomfortable. At first I tried to ignore them, but as most of you know that doesn't work, eventually I had to ban them from the chat and continue with my stream. Even though I was prepared for them I was not ready, and it was a lesson learned. I completed my two weeks of streaming with 42 followers and 453 views.

Day 15  I wrote this article and plan to stream tonight. I stream every night Tuesday-Sunday at www.twitch.tv/mindscapetmfl).

"I am Bread" Review

Sometimes you come across a game, and the title alone piques your curiosity. Typically, these games were founded on a great idea that never fully materialized, so you can understand my reservation when I get handed a game called “I am Bread.” Apparently the developer, Bossa, put together an epic story of bread’s journey to become toast. Now, let me be honest here, when I think of spending my hard earned money on video games, one of the last thing I think about is the struggle bread goes through to become toast. It just doesn't seem like a solid premise, so needless to say I was skeptical.

The idea is simple: you control a piece of bread by manipulating and gripping the world around you. You are in search of a heat source, not always a toaster, to toast yourself with. You must maintain your "bread-like" integrity and edibility. If you touch the ground, flip on an old bandage, or your bread sticks to the ants running around on the counter, you becomes less appetizing and risk failing the level all together.

It’s rage inducing and extremely challenging at first. The controls are unorthodox, but once you master the nuances you start to feel like you are in full control of the bread. You find yourself starting a lawn mower to travel across a garage, or revving a chainsaw to toss yourself across the map. You will find that knocking a bowling ball off a shelf will break the television below causing it to overheat so you can toast yourself. You begin to look at the world in a different ways. Something as simple as a hair dryers or electronic devices have potential to make your journey to “toasthood” complete.

 I found myself enjoying the challenge of the game, and laughing out loud at the story as it narrates Mr. Murrdock’s slow decent into insanity as he blames the bread for all the wrong in his life. There is a palpable payoff to “I am Bread”; after you are exhausted, frustrated, mesmerized and you feel a sense of accomplishment as you are perfectly toasted, and the meaning of life is fulfilled.

The Good

·         Challenging physics based game

·         Fosters a rewarding feeling of accomplishment

·         Multiple routes and ways to execute any given room/level

·         A minimalist story line that works perfectly

·         Options to use Xbox Controller or Keyboard

·         Other game modes beyond the story mode

The Bad

·         The camera mechanics can be an issue at times

·         The physics at times where glitchy and cause many frustrating restarts

·         Not enough levels in the story mode and I found the other game modes boring in comparison

·         I wish the story had voice acting to make it feel more alive

Opportunity

·         More levels in the story mode

4.5/5 "Good Ol' fashion gaming glory" 

Thanks to Bossa Studios for providing a code for review.

Etherium Review

I really wanted to like this game. I was excited about the premise, and I eagerly waited for it to download. As I dove into the “meat and potatoes” of the game, I was both pleased and frustrated. This is one of those games that can be polarizing. Some friends of mine enjoyed their experience while I found it disappointing. Here is my take on Etherium…

The Good

Etherium brings some wonderful innovation to the RTS genre. For instance, there is a dynamic weather system that forces players to adapt constantly.  Many times you will be forced to sell units before they are blown away by hurricanes, or you have to change map strategy by opening routes that were previously closed off. This is because a blizzard froze over a river, or you have to avoid other routes because a volcano was about to erupt. Players are forced to stay on their toes. They adapt quickly, or pay a severe cost for ignoring the elements. I also found that the AI was done exceptionally well, and each level of difficulty seemed appropriate for the player. The true game potential develops once you get into the deeper mechanics, and you are able to realize how different the factions are.  It is impressive with what a wide variety build orders Etherium offers.

The Bad

I feel like Etherium could have benefited from more time in development. The story was told through very little CGI, and it tended to resemble 1980’s anime style (moving stills). That in and of itself is not much of an issue, but I found the story shallow. There just was not a "wow factor" to the way they presented it. The single player seemed to be shallow as well, with most missions feeling like it was a lot of rinse and repeat. The controls seemed to be a bit counter-intuitive, and to be honest, until I made significant customizations, I was all but ready to stop playing the game. I felt like Etherium had mediocre graphics, and only a handful of distinctive units and abilities. Overall, it is short on charm, once the newness of the innovations wore off. At the time of my review, Etherium suffers from a small player base which also hurt the multiplayer experience.

The Opportunity

Etherium has a lot of potential. There is a solid foundation to build upon. The innovations and dynamic weather systems can be a game changing aspect to the RTS genre. To fully recommend this game, I would need to see a more fleshed out version, and a less repetitive single player campaign. I would need those innovations built upon. When it comes down to it, Etherium was like a movie with a great trailer and a lot of hype that just missed the mark. I do believe that the sequel looks more promising.

2.5 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

"Console to PC, My Awakening"

The choice was easy... until it wasn't! This is my journey from Console gamer to PC gamer!

As a gamer, there is a distinct line in the sand that many of us never recognize. The line is one that most of us don't realize it is as restrictive as it is. We move forward in our gaming lives, and we are oblivious to the truth. We are blissfully happy with our decision, and even willing to defend our choice of gaming console. So before I move forward, I am going to ask you (in my best Lawrence Fishbone impression) "Do you want to go down this rabbit hole? You take the blue pill the story ends and you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe, you take the red pill you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember all I am offering is the truth, nothing more!” Before I am drowned in the holy tears of Mario, and am beaten in the cathedral of Sony and Microsoft, let me set this straight. I am a lifelong console fan; in fact, I own all three consoles. Personally, I find strengths and weaknesses in each one. I have my favorite, but I do not feel the need to incite a fan boy riot just to prove a point. This is about my journey, my virtual awaking if you will, to the excitement and beauty of PC gaming. 

I consider myself an Ol’ School Gamer, and I look at online gaming to be my generation’s bar. It is a safe place where everyone knows your name, and I happened to be “Norm”, the gaming’s version of an old bar fly. Unfortunately, something has happened in this generation. We have experienced “buggy” and often unplayable game releases. Our party chats have been rendered useless, our online servers have been left vulnerable, and in many cases, shut down completely. In every way possible as a console gamer, I have been left very unsatisfied with this generation. It’s like our bar has stopped serving beer, and we are left waiting around eating old pretzels and drinking warm tap water. Sadly, this wasn't what caused my wandering eye. My flirting with PC gaming began with the rise of Twitch on the console. For the first time ever I could watch what I was missing, and I could see the variety. I was able to experience the beauty of what a beastly PC could do. More importantly, I could see what my console could not do… and that was eye opening. 

I know it is unfair to compare a gaming console built to last 10 years to a PC that can be built and upgraded at will to play the best and most demanding games. Still, you chose to take the red pill to learn the truth, so here it is. Games on my console get bland with time, just as any game does, with the limited and obvious exception of expensive DLC. You don't have an option to upgrade your experience or change the game for the better. On a PC, there is a rich culture of mods, or modifications, that can take a game and make it into a completely different experience. A good example of this is Arma II, a military strategy game that was transformed with a proper mod to make DayZ which is an extremely popular zombie survival horror simulation. Another popular example is Minecraft. The mod community on this game is mind boggling. My console version is years behind while there are literally hundreds of mods that completely change the way the game looks and is played. After experiencing Minecraft on the PC, I would tell you it is a difference of a 1970’s black and white TV compared to a 4k gaming monitor. If you had the means which one would you choose?

Part of the issue with PC gaming is the upfront expense and complicated hardware. It can be intimidating and expensive. To be completely honest, I have spent a couple hours reading and watching reviews on processors and of gaming keyboards available. It can be daunting! In contrast, the consoles are virtually plug and play, fairly inexpensive in comparison, and can be purchased virtually anywhere. So why would you go to PC gaming based on the initial facts? Let me explain. Remember Red Pill!

An Xbox One, PS4 and a Wii U cost roughly one-third of a “state of the art high end PC”. In the last generation, the average hardcore gamer bought 2.1 consoles, many of which were updated versions of the old console or an additional console. The average hardcore or serious gamer also buys 6.6 games per year. The cost of the current console generation is roughly $400 per unit and a “new” game is $60. The online service also runs about $60 per year. Meanwhile, a PC gamer spends more upfront at roughly $1400 and the average “new” game cost $28. That means by year 4 the PC gamer is spending less money, has vastly better graphics, more options, and virtually free mods that extend the life of their current games. I am making the argument that for a serious gamer, PC gaming is the superior and more affordable option.  (You can see the chart above for breakdown of average gamer cost with one console.)  

As an avid console gamer, I am comfortable with what comes in the box. The processing power and the graphics capabilities are optimize over the life of a generation. This is by the developers learning to make lemonade out of lemons. This is the plight of a console gamer. The user friendliness is also its biggest limitation. In technology, think about what could happen in 10 years. For example, YouTube was founded just 10 years ago. At this point can you imagine an internet without YouTube!? Not only are older PC’s stronger than the newest consoles, but once you have a base unit set, a gamer can upgrade to their heart’s desire. These can include optimizing for 4k tv, or much higher frame rates. The PC I just built is expected to have a capability to run at almost 300 frames per second, while the best console games run at 60. That is 5 times the power, at 1080p, with more affordable games and a wider selection. I am not sure I can look at console gaming the same way again. I feel like I am breaking up with a girlfriend I have loved for years for the girl I am supposed to marry. I am happy and sad at the same time, but unlike Cypher who took the red pill and regretted it, ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is just that… ignorance. The raw power and customization gives the PC a gigantic edge on consoles.

So as I sit down to write this, I can’t help but wonder how long I would have sat in this dingy bar with my pretzels and warm tap water. How long would I have been content within the limitations of my console? If hackers hadn’t shut down the networks, and if Halo’s matchmaking actually worked, would I have let my allegiance waiver? Would I have stayed that young doe-eyed console gamer that was willing to argue against PC gaming, if I hadn’t watch Twitch? The sad truth is, I probably would have because no one else offered me the red pill. I had no one offer me the unaltered and unbiased truth. I would of been left in the Matrix, a prisoner to my limitations and blissfully unaware of what I was missing.

The Evolution of “The Nerd”

          Growing up, if I was called a nerd, it was an insult that had to be refuted.  I always needed a quick retort to save face, which still helped me to appear cool with the ladies. The truth was different. I spent my evenings at a friend’s house drawing maps of Zelda dungeons, searching the couch for quarters that I could spend at the arcade, and trying to beat Mike Tyson into submission. I never knew at the time that as a nerd I would get the last laugh, and that I would get revenge in a way I could never imagine.

            As the gaming culture developed, so did I. Changes were made, dial-up internet was invented, and Doom multiplayer matches were played. I made frequent trips to the grocery store to get another free 1000 minutes of AOL to game with online. I talked WarCraft and StarCraft strategy, while spending hours memorizing the patterns on Section Z. I was a nerd, and I walked, talked, and slept gaming. I could not imagine then, that my casual obsession would turn into a lifelong outlet. It gave me an escape from being a “professional adult.”

            Now as a “businessman” I try to let my inner nerd escape when the opportunity presents itself.  In the presence of another possible gaming nerd, we tend to conduct a slow dance of coded questions, and comments that are meant to authenticate one another. For the younger crowd out there who may not understand the need for such a process, you have not lived with the ridicule and prejudice that came with Halo LAN parties, or text based gaming. I am sure most of you do not know how to call “next” in an arcade. Or have ever felt dejected because you were called a nerd, and you knew it to be true. This is when "nerd" had a stereotype. We were seen as virgins who lived in our parents basements, read comic books, and enjoyed National Geographic wwwwwaaaay too much!

            A funny thing happened though. These “nerds” grew up, became successful, some of them founded Microsoft or Valve, or some have written the comic books that have woven themselves into pop culture. They became fathers and business men. They have snuck in every corner of society. They have focused on building sophisticated computers with maxed out graphic capabilities, game consoles that changed how a living room is used, and they spend money, A LOT of money. Last year gamers spent 46.5 billion dollars on gaming. This is more than the film industry (31.8 billion) which incidentally is dominated by nerds. Think Star Wars to Star Trek or Aliens to X-men, nerds have not only become a socially acceptable term; moreover, it is now used in a positive light. It has become a compliment, and it has become almost cool to be a nerd.

            Ironically, we now have genres of nerds, which would be unimaginable 25 years ago. The question really is… what kind of nerd are you? Are you a gaming nerd, a computer nerd, comic, anime, or cosplay nerd? It is an important distinction that will be a litmus test for your knowledge in that area. It is a label that will let other nerds of your genre know where your expertise lies. There are exceptions, of course. These are in the form of a rare super nerd. Otherwise known as the unicorn of the species, the feared and respected “plain ol' nerd”. He is the renaissance nerd if you will. He answers Star Trek Trivia in detail, and states the episode number to source it. He watches the movie with the director’s commentary, and does a review on the commentary itself. This nerd does not care for social conventions, and would relish in a spirited debate on virtually any subject. He happily challenges the validity of the physics used in Star Trek, and writes a 3 page blog detailing the 30 second trailer of the latest Marvel movie. This nerd is your next door neighbor, your boss, and maybe your husband or wife.

            All nerds are experts in camouflage, and one will only show their true nerdiness after authentication. This may also be done during the mating season known as Comic Con. This nerd however, wears his nerd on his sleeve. His success will be in whatever venture he put his mind to, whether it be an app, or movie script, a website or newly developed game. This nerd has found the secret to happiness. He lives life on his terms, surrounded by his people, and his special edition 1980 Soundwave action figure in its original packaging. He was successful doing it.

            I tip my hat to all nerds and whatever genre you represent. I ask you to remember one thing, we outnumber the “cool” kids now. The ones who would rather spend a night out drinking than finishing a raid. The ones who would rather pick on a kid for his Robotech shirt, than to see the deep and immersive worlds that us nerds get to enjoy. Do not let their mistakes be our downfall. We must encourage the open-minded and welcome the hungover and uninformed. The sad truth is the best revenge for a nerd is success, so keep plucking away at the keyboard, keep gaming into the night, and keep building a foundation for the young nerdy generations to enjoy. Your contributions are making a difference. Your success will cement a world where our 6 sided dice is not bought in dark corners of a game store, or the anonymity of the internet. Our legacy is watching our children, born from actual women, growing up in a world free from nerd prejudice. A place where cosplay is accepted, and having an imagination is not a check mark against you; rather, it becomes a badge of pride on your virtual resume. In other words, our best revenge is being authentic and letting our inner nerd shine with pride. Nerd on.