by ·Comments Off on Who killed the power fantasy? A World of Warcraft story

I struggled to condense my feelings on the latest World of Warcraft expansion into a short easily readable and pithy blog post so I gave up and decided to write all the words instead.

Prologue: The Sword in the Stone

For a very brief moment I thought I was going to be the King of England. It was very brief, and by that I mean about half a second.

Tauren Paladin in Lights Hope Chapel

Why yes my shoulders are on fire and I do have a small bird on my head.

I went to Disneyland Paris when I was about 18 with a youth orchestra group. We were playing at one of the little side stages which was a big deal for us, but not really such a big deal for the five people who mistakenly wandered over to the backwater of the park we were playing in.

Being 18 with a youth orchestra group abroad basically means you’re in quasi-parent-guardian mode. If one of the mini-clarinetists falls over and skins a knee, you’re the one that’s responsible for tracking down a plaster and making sure they haven’t broken anything. It’s not like you can just leave them for dead and head over to Space Mountain, you have to work to stop tears and tantrums. What I’m trying to say is by the time I was in Disneyland Paris, I was old enough and in the mindset of an adult enough not to be tricked by any nefarious Disney dark magic.

In one quiet part of the park, there was a sword lodged into a stone, a la the Legend of King Arthur, a la Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. Of course you have to go and try to pull it out. It’s there. That’s what it’s there for. Everyone needs to go and try to pull it out. So that’s what I did, knowing it was a stupid prop that you were probably supposed to pose for a picture with, pretending to struggle to pull it out. Mild laughs all round.

The sword moved…

Continue reading

by ·2 Comments

The guys behind my favourite web show, Extra Credits, have recently done a two part episode on the issue of game addiction, the second part of which is a wildly different format to their usual set up due to the fact that it’s a subject that’s close to home for show writer James Portnow, and consisted of a very heartfelt retelling of his own personal experiences with game addiction/compulsion.

They make the point that games aren’t addictive in the medical sense as they don’t create a chemical dependency, but that they can be remarkably compelling and grown adults can turn away from real life to sink themselves into a virtual one.

They also make the very valid point that if you have fallen into this sort of lifestyle, you are not alone.

I know there are a couple of people who read this blog who politely (and often quite rightly) complain whenever I write something a little bit more personal than usual, so for you guys, this post might be one to skip.

Continue reading

by ·Comments Off on Avatar and Escapism

A while ago, I mentioned that I enjoyed Avatar and that it was something I wanted to talk about.  I realise that makes it sound like I’m looking for some sort of counseling or that I feel it’s something I need to confess as opposed to express, but I did find it a genuinely interesting film and I’m a little perplexed as to why it received so much hate and negative criticism from the greater geekdom.  Perhaps it was just because it did really well and there’s an instinct to disregard anything that’s mainstream. 

 The theme is what interests me the most.  I’m not talking about the basic plot of a man from an industrial and technological culture defecting to a more spiritual and romanticized tribal way of life in the style of dances with wolves or Space-Pocahontas or anything like that.  What I mean the basic theme that underpins the entire film: that of escapism.

Continue reading

by ·1 Comment
CYOA

The cape is obviously optional.

Today, davidhing.com brings you a “choose your own adventure” post.

Your name is <yourname> and you are a struggling writer.  This is a very true statement, as you are truly struggling to write.  You currently hold down a pedestrian 9-5 job in an office which demands nothing of you but your time and occasionally semi-conscious thought.  However, when you get home, you often find that you are unable to do what you want to do.
Your quest is simple, <yourname>, you must write something by the end of the day.  Prepare to embark on your Writer’s Quest!  Start at section 1.

***

  1. You have been at work all day.  At lunch time you had a sandwich with chicken in it.  It made you feel stuffy, but full.  In the afternoon, your mind drifted off and you started day dreaming about what you were going to write when you got home.  You have decided that you will work on <yourproject> this evening.  It gets to 5’O’Clock and it’s time to go home.  If you chose to walk home, go to section 2.  If you choose the bus, go to section 3.
  2. The walk home passes without incident and takes you about half an hour.  As you walk up the stairs, approaching your flat, you feel a little out of breath.  Upon opening and walking through the front door, you are unable to feel the enthusiasm for your project that you initially felt.  If you chose to fight through the apathy and go to your computer, go to section 4.  If you decide to sit on the sofa and watch some television, go to section 5.
  3. The bus journey takes about half an hour.  The high street is busy and the bus has to repeatedly stop and start.  Some “intelligent individuals” attempt to argue their way onto the bus without buying a ticket, apparently finding the concept of public transport too low for their tastes.  The journey makes you feel grumpy and resentful that you didn’t walk.  As you walk through the front door of your flat,  your enthusiasm for <yourproject> has been significantly compromised.  You decide to sit on the sofa and watch some television.  Go to section 5.
  4. You enter your newly acquired office-room and throw your bag and jacket off on to the bed.  Stalking over to your computer, you hit the power button with your toe and hear the beast roar in to life.  The computer is fast becoming an uncooperative Frankenstein of a machine and so take a long time to start up.  If you chose to go and get a glass of water whilst you wait, go to section 6.  If you chose to sit it out and wait for the machine to boot up, go to section 7.
  5. You fall on to the sofa and jab the remote until the picture shows on the screen.  You find a show to watch on your magical watch-what-you-missed-last-week box that you missed last week.  It makes you laugh.  You decide to catch up on a few other things as well, reasoning that you need to chill out and you’ll get around to <yourproject> later.  You’ve only just got back from work anyway.  You realise that you’re thirsty and should probably get on with <yourproject> after all, but you’re not sure.  If you continue to watch TV shows that make you laugh, go to section 8.  If you chose to get a glass of water, go to section 6.
  6. As you go to the sink to pour yourself a glass of water, you glance over at the television.  You remember that there was a show that you wanted to watch last week that you missed.  You really wanted to see it, and if you don’t, that bloke at work that talks all the time will probably ruin it for you.  If you chose to watch the show, go back to section 5.  If you proceed in satiating your thirst, go to section 9.
  7. The computer has finished starting up.  As you look around your workspace you notice a few unfinished projects on your drawing board but pay it no further attention at this time.  You look at your desktop and find one particular icon in the middle triggering off an instinctive drive for you to click it.  If you click the icon, go to section 11.  If you do not click the icon, go to section 13.
  8. You watch another show, and then another show, and then you find yourself watching repeats of Mock the Week on Dave, which is odd because most of the news-relevant material has long since lost it’s humour value or relevance.  You are confused as to why you are so hungry until you realise that it is actually getting rather late.  Go to section 12.
  9. You start to pour yourself a glass of water, and then you remember there’s beer in the fridge.  You would quite like a beer, but you’re not sure.  If you chose the glass of water, go to section 7.  If you chose the beer go to section 10.
  10. The beer goes down well and with can in hand, you say to yourself “screw it.  I’m going to get on with <yourproject> right now” and storm out of the kitchen and into your office.  Go to section 11.
  11. You start up World of Warcraft.  Your mouse hand flew to the icon and you finger shot down in two sharp movements as if drawn by some dark force.  After playing for a while, you quit the game and you decide that a beer would be a good idea, to get you going on <yourproject>.  Go to section 10.  If you have already had five beers, go to section 12.
  12. It is now midnight and your evening has finished.  It’s time to start thinking about going to bed as you have work in the morning.  You Have Failed Your Writer’s Quest.
  13. You resist clicking on the icon and instead find Microsoft Word so that you can work on <yourproject>.  You open up the program and are greeted with that really annoying paperclip.  If you ignore the paperclip, go to section 15.  If you chose to attempt to destroy the paperclip, go to section 14.
  14. You right click on the paperclip assistant to send him to oblivion but before you chose to get rid of him, you notice that you can chose a different assistant.  You spend a long time cycling through the options and even longer agonizing between the cat and the robot.  You finally settle on the cat and ask it the question “does anyone actually chose the windows logo?”  but the feline is unable to sufficiently answer your query.  After this rather major distraction, you realise that you are thirsty.  You remember that there is beer in the fridge and that would be just what you need to help you get on with <yourproject>.  Go to section 10.
  15. Ignoring any distractions, you finally start writing.  You get a sentence done when your phone rings.  It is a friend of yours that you haven’t seen for a while inviting you out for a drink down the road.  If you go out for a drink, go to section 16, if you decide to carry on with <yourproject>, go to section 17.
  16. You have a good time at the pub, but one drink very quickly becomes two and then you go and find a pub with a pool table and then end up marching off towards central London before realising that it’s getting late and you should be getting home.  You say farewell and head home.  Go to section 12.
  17. You feel guilty for turning your friend down and resolve that you’ll make it up to him in good time.  To soften the blow, you decide that you’ll have a beer from the fridge, so that you can say “I was drinking with you in spirit” when you meet him again at a later date.  Go to section 10.