Recent content by Solipsis

I do I do think that killing a red dragon in D&D (in a decently run game) would be a real accomplishment. I wouldn't list it on my resume next to my college degree and my work experience. It doesn't belong there, but it's still an accomplishment. Getting to that point in the game would take...

I'll counter that. I hate drawing a distinction between "in game" and "real life". I watch TV in real life, I read books in real life, I go to movies in real life, heck, I even play D&D in real life... The way I see it, MMOGs are part of my real life. My online friendships are real friends...

Ah yes, the only way to make something new popular in the west is to revamp it so it's exactly the same as what's already popular in the west... So instead of a diverse set of genres we get one amorphous muddy blur of a genre. I'd just love it if everything was sort of an RPG and sort of a...

There are very few things in life that I enjoy as much as Rome: Total War before bed! In all seriousness, my youngest brother (the only hardcore multiplayer gamer in a family of fanatics) is currently studying at a maritime academy to join the merchant marine. I know one of the things that...

I may have tried to read this on my lunch break at work. I may also have wound up looking like a lunatic laughing hysterically while choking on cornbread. I shall take your excellent advice as soon as I get home. I'm seeing an unlikely romance between Kairi and Thrall. I'm envisioning it...

Yours is an interesting perspective, and honestly one I've never seen before. The "WoW-widows" I know tend to be the nongamer type. The only truly hardcore player I know well is married to a very old friend of mine, and as she's the product of a family of rabid female gamers, she seems to take...

My mother also refers to all consoles as "Nintendos". When I bought my 360 her first question was "What kind of Nintendo is that?". I've heard of the Videogame Archive project before and I think it's a great idea. I think the question of preservation is about more than just nostalgia as...

I can wholeheartedly put my seal of unquestioning approval on any article containing a reference to the Who. *stamp*

Sense is spoken. Separation of church and state shouldn't mean that people with religious beliefs have no place in politics. It should mean religion doesn't control government (a la the Papal States) and government doesn't control religion (state enforced worship). It is a concept that is...

My mother and I both raise one eyebrow when looking at the other's favorite pastime. She's a civil war re-enactor who makes and sells period clothing. I'm a pretty avid gamer (tabletop, video, you name it you got it). Both of us have dipped into the other's hobby on occasion and found it not for...

This is a really great article. It reminded me of my own family story -- I'm the oldest of three, but the only girl, and on top of that, I've always been kind of more interested in the typical "boy's pastimes" than "girl's activities." So I was always the one feeling like a tagalong when my...

This is a great topic, Grand Theft Childhood sounds like something I ought to read. I think there's merit to the idea that overprotection leads to more harm than help for children. From my own experience, my parents didn't think that worrying about money and jobs was appropriate for a child...

Any time I feel patronised by a game developer, (i.e. we'll add a romance subplot and some home decorating elements to appeal to girlz) it only makes me more determined NOT to spend money on their products.

There's a delicate balance that I don't think that any game (and very few other media forms) have previously struck between showing the horror of someone's actions but not losing sight of the humanity of the people involved. A game that could do both would be a huge step toward creating respect...

This would be incredible. I've imported a few soundtracks in the past (mostly JRPGs), but it's an annoyance I'd rather not deal with. If I could get game soundtracks locally I absolutely would. It's one of my favorite things when games come prepackaged with soundtrack discs like the last several...