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The Corner of Randomness: Travel Essentials

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Maybe it is because I’m buried under several inches of snow and the temp is at stupid cold that I am already planning a crazy summer of travel. Between vacations, conventions, and work travel, the road and various airports will be my best friends. While I was booking hotels and flights the other day, I got to thinking about what is essential for making travel a bit less stressful. Some people read books or watch movies. Me, I listen to music and play lot of video games.

My basic travel survival kit includes my Vita, 3DS XL, and iPod. I pack pretty much every game I have for my Vita and 3DS. You know, because I might get an itch to play a game I haven’t touched in over a year. A few days before I head out, I commence the mad rush to pull updates to my devices. I start to fill every outlet in the house with a charger of some kind. There is a bit of a routine to all of this.

Another interesting effect of traveling with gaming gear are the conversations that happen. I met my wife on a plane after she commented on my DS and how the Gameboy has come a long way. I’ve talked to random people about my Vita as some people have no idea what it is. There have been flights where my single serving friend and I chatted about video games of our childhood. It just goes to show ya, you never know who you will be talking video games with next.

Throughout the years, my travel gaming kit has been through several revisions. Yet, I always have some sort of dedicated gaming device with me when I am on the road. So what do you consider an essential part of your gaming travel kit? Have you made the jump to just using your phone, or do you still pack a portable gaming device? Heck, do you go all Keri and pack your 360? What say you?

The Corner of Randomness: The Joy of Just Being a Gamer

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Happy FaceEvery day it seems video game fans are subjected to some sort of drama. People are constantly getting called out as XBots, PS Fanboys, Console Peasants, or PC Master Race just to name a few. While I try to steer clear of the comment section in various gaming related articles, sometimes curiosity gets to me and I venture into that unholy land. I am then quickly reminded why it is a bad idea as the hate and vile quickly hits within a few posts. It’s pretty sad when you think about it.

When did we turn into our politicians and become so divided amongst ourselves? Why can’t we just enjoy games of all kinds? Even better, why can’t we recognize that we all have different tastes in video games, gaming platforms, and so on? It is such a waste of energy to be so angry all the time, and it destroys the fun and excitement that are video games. It also makes this industry look like a bunch of whiny kids fighting over a sandwich.

I am a gamer. I am not an XBot. I am not a Fanboy of this or that console. I’ll be damned if I ever label myself as a Master Race of anything. I am a gamer, and it is glorious! I experience the vast expanses of space while playing Elite: Dangerous on my PC. When I need a break from my Steam library, I jump into some Destiny, or The Crew, or Dying Light, or whatever the new hotness on my consoles is that week. When I travel, I capture Pokémon or attempt to conquer my ever expanding stack of shame on the Vita. I’m having fun, and isn’t that what video games are all about?

It’s time we as a gaming collective realize that there are good and bad points to everything. How someone decides to dine on the buffet of virtual worlds is their choice. Instead of fighting about what makes this console inferior to this console, or running to the hills to shout how glorious it is to play games on a PC, maybe we could talk about the games themselves. You know, have a discussion about why Sunset Overdrive was so great, or terrible.

I really hope that someday, the keyboard warriors will become a thing we only read about in history books. I look forward to the day that we can celebrate all things video games, and just respect one another. Maybe one day, we can all just be gamers! Trust me, this is a time when the grass is truly greener on the other side of the fence. I know, I have to mow the lawn every week!

The Corner of Randomness: Commence Con Season

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PAX-SouthIt’s that glorious time of year when conventions of all kinds start kicking off. Everything from geeky pastimes to boring “work” related subjects seem to have a special convention over the next few months. Heck, even the fearless Keri is off to PAX South this week….and I ENVY HER! I love this time of year!

I love cons. While I have never been to something as kick-ass as San Diego Comic Con or E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), I have been to Gen Con and a few smaller gatherings. From a spectator standpoint, I always get excited over the news, trailers, demos, and announcements that trickle out over the few days these events happen. E3, PAX, and SDCC always come with a great amount of excitement and anticipation, even if you’re not in attendance. Thank you online streaming for virtually putting me in places I couldn’t travel to.

The things I enjoy most about attending a convention is the connections and friendships that are forged there. The fact that hundreds, or thousands in some cases, of people with similar interests gather to celebrate their love of this or that is just so intoxicating. I stay up way too late, party beyond my limits, and soak in all the endorphins of bliss. It’s a time to enjoy that which I love without caring about the outside world. These events always reinvigorate my love of my pastimes. It is just plain fun!

I hope Keri has a great time at PAX South, and hopefully she can avoid the PAX Pox Plague. I look forward to chatting with her next week and hearing all the fun stories she will hopefully have to share. Now I am curious. What cons are you most excited for? Is there one that you refuse to miss? What do you most enjoy about something such as BlizzCon/E3/PAX/GDCC/SDCC and so on?

The Corner of Randomness: Nostalgia

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AGDQLast week saw the return of the Awesome Games Done Quick marathon. This is a weeklong event that raises money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It is essentially gamer’s speed running their favorite games, many of which are old school games. This event, combined with my recent trip to Arizona and playing GoldenEye 007 with my brother-in-law got me all kinds of nostalgic.

Last week I saw many games that I have cursed, raged at, thrown controllers to, and quit in anger just get utterly destroyed in record times. Heck, even my beloved Dark Souls II was no match as it was completed in under 30 minutes. Well, that was thanks to the use of glitches, but still. During this event, nothing was sacred, not even the highly beloved Final Fantasy VII.

I watch speed runners on Twitch.TV from time to time. Their skills and in-depth knowledge of the game always astounds me. While it is improbable that I’ll ever take up speed running myself, there is some joy in watching others obliterate games that I found too difficult or time consuming. On the flip side, watching various games of my childhood played also brings back so many memories. Last week was a great trip down memory lane, and a testament of just how awesome the video games, and gamer’s, are.

The Corner of Randomness: SGR Goals for 2015

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One day, you will be mine!

One day, you will be mine!

I’m not a New Year’s Resolutions kind of person. I’ve tried it once, and it didn’t really end well. Instead, I’m more of a goals fan. With goals, I easily come up with smaller achievements that help complete the end goal I set out to do. Also, at the end of the year I can look at all the steps I knocked out along the way, and regardless if that goal is done or not, I feel confident I honestly worked at making things happen. With that, I have some goals I am hoping to achieve for SGR this year.

Produce a better video/podcast
I know the SGR Coffee Break is just getting going, but I’d like to make it better. I’d like to improve the video and audio quality, and that will take some work to iron out. I’m aiming to come up with a consistent intro. I hope we can also release an SGR Coffee Break every week, even when one of us are traveling. This of course means that Keri and I will need to try and create a bit of a surplus of these, but it shouldn’t be too hard to do.

Finish strategy guides quicker
I carried over one guide review from 2014. I’m not doing my best at knocking it out either. THANKS ELITE: DANGEROUS! However, I would like to keep my backlog of guides to a minimum, all while providing solid reviews. I will have work harder at shunning the new shiny to make this happen, but having unfinished guides judging me while I play something else is a bit unnerving. Dang guides are so judgmental…and evil.

Keep SGR a place that celebrates all things video games
While I can’t control Keri and what she boots out the door for the readers, I hope to keep my articles positive, even in unhappy/drama ridden times. There are enough places on the Internet that spew vile and hate, and I don’t want my stuff on SGR to be the same. I plan to keep my articles focused on the things I enjoy about this industry. Yeah, I’m sure I’ll still have to judge a bad strategy guide here or there, but I feel there is a way to creatively criticize without being mean about it.

Platinum a LEGO game
Right, this one is more for me, but what the heck. I’ve never achieved platinum status in a LEGO game, and I hope to do that this year. I need to figure out which of the many LEGO titles I want to attempt this with, but they all seem pretty fun in some form. Maybe I can even document my progress towards getting that shiny trophy!

So there are my goals for SGR in 2015. Nothing overly complicated, but they all require some effort. Here is to a strong, and glorious, 2015!

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