gx notes - September 2000

`GX notes - september, 2000`

monday 25 september

When I found out about Gamers.com and decided to try to work here, I wanted to be the "Classic PC games editor." I figured since Gamers.com was going to have a database with every game ever made in it, they'd need a guy or gal to organize all those great old games into useful content for websurfers.
They couldn't afford to hire someone to be a full-time historian, but since I started working there I've had a chance or two to do some historical research. Here's my lastest: The Roots of Computer Roleplaying.

wednesday 20 september

I've been researching old computer games, like Bard's Tale and Ultima. Each of them has a city in them called Skara Brae. There's a real neolithic village called Skara Brae in Scotland. And it's cool looking!

* * *
Wilson responds to my recent Amy notes:

...if you want sex and she does not, and you find yourself fantasizing about outlandish sexual acts like masturbating in public, then it really is over and my advice is to accept your lot: men who spend 100+ plus hours a week playing video games rarely have satisfying sexual relationships. You cannot expect to woo or impress with tales of D&D or virtual reality, MOST WOMEN DO NOT GIVE A SHIT. Women want to discuss ideas, emotions, or themselves, the material world beyond wardrobe and food is a serious buzz kill; this is not an indictment, it's good to get ooky with your feelings and shit but goddamit, for most men I know it takes a serious effort. I'm sorry that it's like this; why don't you buy some vaseline, a butt plug, and some dirty movies?
It's nice to have some non-gamer friends to help me in this time of relationship difficulty.

monday 18 september

Here are the fruits of my recent trip to Washington to cover the Senate hearings on violence in media: Marketing Violence in the Senate and the companion piece $enate Kommerce Kommittee Killfest.
And from a largely unrelated story, there's now the possibility for the world to finally come to have Pokemon Pancakes.

[It's so marvellous, it prints itself upside down!]

friday 15 september

(from GameDaily:
Blockbuster has announced the opening of its 5,000th outlet, which, according to Chairman/CEO John Antioco, means that the company has a facility "within ten minutes of 70 percent of the U.S. population."

thursday 14 september

More funny election year spectating: Grilled Over RATS by Maureen Dowd (NYTimes FreeReg required).
Before the blood had dried - a few more layoffs today. It's definitely a mood/productivity killer. Tomorrow they explain why, and what direction we have now. I'm too focused on writing up my visit to the Senate to talk trash. I'm psyched that Gamers.com flew me out there - I guess I can be bought. Maybe it's a Nebraska "head down, work hard" ethic seeping into my bloodstream from my memories.
Good game readin': history of the rise/fall/rise of famous role-playing game maker TSR.
Robert regularly spouts proper profane poetry as he plays first person shooters. Tonight, I heard him call out "I am a whore who is not to be trifled wit"h as he finished someone off in Quake 3 Rocket Arena.

friday 8 september

these new Sega television advertisements are funny. One year after we saw the connected console, Sega has launched a gaming internet service providership to allow Dreamcast owners to play games against each other through telephone lines.
That's important because you don't have to deal with graphics cards, expensive hardware, software and hardware conflicts, and TCP/IP settings. Buy a $150 machine, plug in a phone line, put in a CD, and play a game. It's mostly that easy anyhow.

* * *
I'm tracking down conservative senators who have made statements about keeping violent video games away from children. "I work for a site called gamers.com," I said to Michael in Senator Sessions office. later, "You said you work for Psychogamers.com?"
I realize that they're ready to think I'm going to slag them. But it's far more fun to make them think I'm useful to them. "We're a site that covers a broad range of games, from board games and card games to video games. We appeal to young gamers as well as their parents." So now I'm trying to compose an email that is going to make them feel comfortable in sharing their views while pulling out the truth behind their shallow proclimations. I listen to Bad Religion to keep my consciousness balanced.

thursday 7 september

More Thresh lit - articles and netslag on our founder:
Salon Interview and a Parody Trading Card

* * *
Researching how media perverts the minds of children, I find this Immense history of pre-code horror comics, and a history of EC comics.

wednesday 6 september

Houseguest Steve Rhodes is now fully employed in the right kind of job it seems - he's adding links to articles for San Francisco's leading weekly. Here's a wild article on Belgrade Art that he linked up: http://sfbg.com/SFLife/34/49/lead.html

tuesday 5 september

While I toil away as a member of the white-collar under-30 working class that's currently in charge of paving the world, I enjoy watching the campaign. There's something about politics that still seems relevant to me. And if you study the ongoing Presidential campaign, there are delightful turns of events and twists of strategy, interspersed with moments of shiteating humor:
A good read: Bush Gaffe Survey in the Washington Post

monday 4 september

Come in Monday night, 11pm, Labor Day. There's ten dudes in the office, Rocket Arena, and John has picked up a cat from the neighborhood and named it foobar and at least for tonight we have an office cat and I like that very much.
Then later John and Tim return from getting fast food. They were driving near the office when they saw/heard two cars shooting at each other. When they checked their car later, they discovered a bullet had been shot through the trunk, landing safely in Tim's duffel bag, in an old pair of underwear. A brush with some serious violence!
Not twenty minutes after hearing about this, I was in the kitchen listening to Kirk, Bob, Andrew, Tim and Brandon talk about guns. What guns to buy, what gun is cool, where to get guns. Real shooting of real guns at real shooting ranges seems to be the new fad around here. Kind of scary, though I must admit there's some attraction there for me. Maybe it's in my blood. It seems like a logical extension of playing Counter-Strike. The game is cool in part because it seems real. So maybe these games encourage violence. Certainly over the years I've come to dread American's ready access to handguns. But there are those who argue that access to guns is another freedom. Much like our freedom to consume violent media.

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