Dylan Hunter

Hmmm… maybe worth a slight re-evaluation of MMORPG’s…*1* Still end up being utterly enormous timesinks, (i.e. actually beyond enormous - they compete head-to-head with RL, which is utterly unsustainable especially for those of us with families) so still not sure even this would make me re-engage, but certainly at least something to think about, (nah, still probably not… ).

Still, there’s definitely something nice about getting to know folks as a function of an intriguing shared activity, (similar to getting to know folks around sports in RL, as I did when I was younger - btw - who decided that adults have no desire to play sports anywmore?) rather than those “networking meetings,” which have always struck me as forced, at best.

———

*1* I used to actually enjoy UO and Everquest many, many years ago, (back before I got married and had kids) but eventually decided that the gameplay was basically a waste, (camp-spawn-kill-camp) got sick and tired of the PK’ers, (who then forced you to spend another whole week online to recoup the equipment they stole from you, at which point they’d do it again - rinse, wash, repeat - thereby driving you insane, and increasing RL hostility levels, and that’s unacceptable). Anyway, didn’t care about the funds, but the experience so soured me to the product class that it’s hard for me to even think about re-entering, (even though I still am a serious gaming junkie! ).

And while I’m here, a quick word to game studios / publishers as that serious gaming junkie - _please_ start making your games capable of downgrading graphics to enable play on normal laptops, (not those 10 lb+ monsters! ). There’s so much blather about me still being in one of the prime demographics for computer gaming, (i.e. mid-30’s, male, etc., etc), and guess what, when I’m traveling around for business, (which is one of the few times when I have spare time and can’t spend it with my family) there are a lot of times I want to bring a good game with me for the plane, hotel, whatever, and the game studios and publishers don’t seem to be paying attention to the trends in their enabling tech, (a very good lesson in paying attention to things around you):

• I want a laptop that’s fairly small for travel, (certainly no more than the 5 lb range, preferably even smaller) which most likely means integrated graphics
• I have a wife that “reminds me” that I have no need to buy additional personal hardware, as I’ve got the work laptop.
• And even if I did set aside the funds for a personal rig, I have absolutely no desire to be pinned down to one specific location in my house anymore, (so don’t tell me to get an Xbox 360, even if I wasn’t offended by the concept of paying $400-500 for a gimped desktop)

So, if I have to do without super-mod-ultra shading and V-gamma-X textures, who the heck cares? I should be able to load new games on my laptop, with its integrated graphics card, (it does have 128MB VRAM) and be able to play. Let me play, and you’ll get your 5-8 games per year @ $50/unit sold.