Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Prophetic Predictions In Gaming: Erron Black & The Death of the Western World

Erron Black has been in two mainstay Mortal Kombat fighting games, and in both, his origins have remained a mystery that was only hinted at. Erron Black is the embodiment of the Western Cowboy or Outlaw within MK lore. His costumes, his weapons of choice, his voice-over, and his physical appearance accounts for this. Looking at Erron's namesake, and his presence in recent MK games it might appear as if it were all a simple creative design choice, but what if there's more to Erron Black's presence than meets the eye? What if he is a predictive precursor to the fall of Western society? Hear me out.

Saturday, May 5, 2018

The Parable Of The Farmer And The Rabbits And How It Pertains To The Gaming Industry

These days the gaming industry providers, and creators are so wholly focused on the money making aspect of what they do that they are losing creativity, originality, and quality in their greedy pursuit. It is this reason that I shared on Twitter a short parable with a moral breakdown regarding what such a focus can, and will do to big business. I urge you to share the parable, and for industry persons to take heed of it. It's a valuable lesson even though it's mildly applied. Enjoy the read!

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Paying Respects To My Grandmother Who Made My Journey Into Gaming Possible

My grandmother is my favorite person in the world. She's a Godly woman committed to reading the scriptures daily, and is wholly dedicated to her family. She prays for us all the time, and often says she'd take on our suffering if it would ease our pain. Throughout my life she's stuck up for me, looked after me when I was young, and encouraged me to be the best I could be. In her 80's now she suffers a lot of ailments, but still finds the occasional happy moment with me, and I with her. I remember fondly her taking me, and my siblings shopping for a Nintendo Entertainment System when we were younger, and her beaming with happiness to see us happy once she had bought the console. If it weren't for her I may not have ever gotten into gaming like I did, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Not only did she do that, but she's the reason I got a PS Vita, and why I've been able to support my hobby. I personally don't like to accept her money, but she finds happiness in my happiness, and to be quite honest she won't take no for an answer. She awaits my return from the trip to Gamestop, and always asks if I got something good, and I share with her what I bought.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Questionable Quickie ~ Why Injustice 2's AI Simulator is Not A Proper AI Simulator

I've tried since the launch of Injustice 2 to find the perfect AI simulator setup for my AI simulator team. Sometimes I've succeeded, and other times I've failed using the same three character team with the same static stats. What's odd is that like a match against a human player even once promising AI constructs in similar match-ups were beaten regardless of former victories under similar circumstances. Hear me out a moment. At one point (using the same setup) my lvl.20 Aquaman beat a lvl.20 Batman, but going against the same character with the same level, and moves later on my Aquaman ended up fighting differently, and lost as a result. Ultimately as a bi-product of becoming more negligent, and careless with the actions, and reactions he/it applied. The latter Batman also did as the former batman tended to do, only switching things up as to not mirror every other Batman, but more effectively so due to my Aquaman's missteps. All the while with my Aquaman harboring a similar brawler type setup as this Batman AI obviously had.

What you have to take in account is that players tweak 6 stats up to 30 points each, but limited to a total of 60 points altogether. Points which are strategically allotted to make the AI character behave in a certain/specific way in the unmanned matches. These are strategically assigned, and more often than not players will adjust the stats as appropriate for the type of character they are putting into a match. A couple of examples being that a zoning character will get a decent amount of their stat points allotted to zoning, and runaway while characters that are brawlers will get more stat points assigned to rushdown, combos, and counters. All because the characters are more efficient with certain play styles. Thus is the "programming" to act, and react in specific ways, but not in a truly adaptive AI mannerism.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

What if games are being created to grief & cheat you?

Did you ever feel like the odds in competitive games were unfairly stacked against you? That certain things seemed so blatantly, and obviously placed in the AI's or other players' favor that it was more than just a coincidence? Well, you are not alone. It has been speculated by many gamers that certain games are being manipulated for one reason or the other. In Destiny, for example an overwhelming community majority thinks Bungie has purposefully ignored complaints about unfair adjustments, and that through their disregard for the gamer have made things purposefully unfair. Some claim the matchmaking is intentionally geared to pair top tier players against players doing questionable things online. Often times it's the gamers who are calling out Bungie on these things in their forums that see the greatest negative impact to their k/d. Not only that, but Bungie moderators also remove posts that make them out to be guilty, and sometimes ban complainers from the forums entirely.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Gaming, Kids & Parental Obligation

Before you jump to conclusions thinking I'm going to say that gaming is the root of all violent behavior, or bad behavior in general rest assured that I'm not. This is a discussion about the problem with parents pacifying kids with things like video games. It's also going to be about parents who follow up harshly with discipline afterwards blaming the resulting problems on everything else, but themselves ...

Growing up in a household of three sisters, and two brothers I was offered a lot in the way of imaginative play time without the need for constant access to computers, video games, or even movies. I read books, played outside, drew, and tended to my school work when it was required of me to do so. While I can't say I was the most well behaved child in those early years I was never lacking for attention from my parents, my siblings, or my friends, because we were all a part of a proper social upbringing. It was the way of life back then. Sadly, when it comes to the family unit these days though such close knit relationships are often times hard to find. Parents are busy working to pay bills, and kids are either left on their own to do for themselves what needs to be done, or are babysat by the boob tube, internet, or video games. In comparison to today's family infrastructure life in the 70's - 80's wasn't as online oriented, and distracting as it is now. We weren't all in our own little worlds doing our own things while trying to escape the cruel world around us via the internet. In fact social entertainment based tech devices weren't as commonplace back then as they are in current times. People weren't glued to their smartphones, and what gaming was done was both innocent, sociable, and without online interactivity. Gaming within families was also more of a reward for doing good in school, or in other work related activities. Unless you were spoiled by rich parents ...

Thursday, February 23, 2017

What You Get At The Inferno

Metrics, and analytics across the board pretty much confirm my relevance as a social media influencer. Ranging from an astounding "Top 0.1%" on the former Klout scale to an almost as impressive "Top 5%" on Klear's scale in regards to gaming it is undeniable that what I say, type, or text holds sway in the industry that this blog is centered around. Though numbers on said sites often times may look confusing in relation to said percentages those percentages are not inaccurate. Yes I'm an acknowledged journalist about gaming, and "yes" I'm friendly to those who follow, and engaging with my audience on various social media platforms. I'm even highly knowledgeable about the industry itself, often times giving sound advice to those who would listen. The best advice being made available on the business side of things through my more professional LinkedIn account. While the Inferno might be a humble blog in appearance make no mistake that what is typed in each review is more than what most big sites will ever dare to include. That grand scope of detail including breakdowns of all in-game features sprinkled with a little opinion at the end based on the functionality, and the fun to be had. My opinions, and critiques are not bought out, and are not misleading with college level word play that only detracts from the insight the gamers are seeking. You'll also find no ads, and no monetization efforts here at the Inferno. This is a passion project that is five plus years strong, and growing. A project I would never dare to corrupt with paid for influence. Not clouded by bias, or other peoples' written reviews this blog stands above a lot of the bigger names in content and context.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Let's Talk - Video Games, Gaming & The Gaming Industry

It's been a while since I talked openly with my readers about my thoughts on the current path the gaming industry has taken. I've definitely had a lot on my mind in regards to it, but I've mostly confided in my one close friend who joins me for gaming sessions on a regular basis, because she listens. She's been coming to me for advice on what games to get, when it's best to adopt a new console, and where I think the gaming industry is headed. While I hated to be the bearer of bad news for her since she's new to modern gaming I had to be honest. Even though there are potentially good games on the horizon, and good games already released I can't help but think something is amiss in the industry. Something that could send gaming to an abysmal grave. The heart and soul of what gaming once was is simply no longer there. You have developers shoveling out sh*tware, console creators who are doing practically the same thing, and a universal focus on getting as much money as possible while putting in as little effort as possible. There is a sort of desperation in the air. You can feel it as you play some new game releases, and even in the world outside of gaming. We are faced with uncertain times, and I think industry providers are well aware of this. I feel that's why they are selling you crap. It's why they are begging you for money to support kickstarter projects that may never happen, and why they are still figuring out new ways to charge you extra for pieces of a gaming experience that should be complete at the sixty dollar price point.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Staying Socially Relevant & Other Stuff ...

Socially relevant, I shall stay socially relevant. That's what I keep telling myself. Honestly, though my coverage of gaming is fading due to several different factors. For one thing I find that games worth reviewing, or talking about are becoming fewer, and further between. Most games are half-assed pieces of shite that never live up to the hype. Some are even blatant rip-offs meant solely for cheating gamers out of their hard earned money. In light of these blasphemous gaming developments my review requesting has waned, and rightfully so. I've found my passion for covering such games, and gaming topics dwindling. Gaming in general has become aggravating for me on so many levels. The online multiplayer experience that I once loved is being snuffed the f**k out by hackers, and is leaving a lot to be desired in it's wake. Even the offline only games are leaving a lot to be desired with their half-baked delivery. Seeing as new-gen consoles are mostly built for the online experience the consoles themselves are also posing a potentially threatening problem for the future of gaming. Where does a passionate journalist go from here? What does one do when they've reached a realization of what is truly happening to one of their most beloved hobbies? It's a question that I'm going to have to answer for myself before the new year comes into light as I may, or may not continue on this journalistic path due to the oppressing factors that weigh so heavily on me now. Heck I might even go retro before it's all over.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Gaming Journalism Corruption

First off I want to make something extremely clear. There will be no name calling here, and their will be no direct mudslinging of any kind. I'm not some politician looking for votes, and I'm most certainly not some gaming journalist who wants to be paid for what I have to say. I've personally been a part of the gaming journalism community for four years now, and I feel it is my right to discuss what is taking place in regards to gaming journalism corruption as it greatly effects my future in the biz. In case you don't know me by now I'm a freelance gaming journalist who has always provided reviews, and articles on my own time without getting paid for them. My opinion is not for sale, nor has it ever been. Hell, I don't even monetize my blog with Adsense for that matter. My motives were completely honest from the start, and I have always given facts within my reviews regardless of whether they were negative, or not before delivering my personal opinion so that you could build your own opinion of the game without relying wholly on me.  For those of you curious about my sex life you can rest assured that I do not !@#$%^ to gain favoritism in the gaming industry. Just sayin' ...

In this article I will go over my thoughts about the undeniable corruption that is taking place in gaming journalism as well as where I stand in the grand scheme of everything. I will also make it a point to drop a few suggestions as to how the corruption can be fixed. This of course will be directed more towards the game developers, console makers, and people who produce products within the gaming industry. As bleak as the corruption situation my seem at this point it is not hopeless yet. It will be up to the main industry creators to do the right thing, and seek out the right journalistic outlets in order to right the wrongs they are very much a part of ...

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The 80's: "Have the Golden Years Passed Us By?"

For a lot of us older gamers "The 80's" was the point in time when the hobbies of collecting toys, and playing video games were at their prime. As a collector from the 80's I bought about every iconic 80's toy imaginable. Things like 'Garbage Pail Kids', 'Madballs', and 'M.U.S.C.L.E. Men' were all the rage, and I definitely spent a lot of my time as well as money obtaining them. They were of top quality, and were interesting enough to grasp the consumer's attention. As a gamer from the 80's I also played, and owned about every NES game made. I eventually amassed such a game collection that I was the envy of the schools I attended. Being able to enjoy said games with family, and friends also had it's pleasant perks. Due to my dedicated love for all these great things you'll often times find me reminiscing about the days of old, and how I wished I could turn back to the retro era, and leave behind all the worries of the modern age. There's a good reason for that. Sadly, only the older generations of gamers, and collector's like myself who grew up in the 80's will understand. For all you new aged gamers, and collectors you have simply missed out on the best times ever. It's just the way it is. Do I, as an 80's faithful think such an era will ever return? Unfortunately not. It's just not meant to be.