The Masked Carnie

There's a really hot new game going around right now, and for once, I'm right there on the front of it!  Thank you to Game Grumps for introducing me to this glorious gem (warning: NSFW language at the link)!  This game was originally intended for the Oculus Rift, but it can be played with a standard PC.  The idea for this game is very unique, and I always love me some good unique.  One player is at the PC, and only that player is allowed to see the screen.  Everyone else is playing nearby within earshot, but they cannot see what you see.  The main player is in a closed room with a suitcase bomb and various modules connected to it that are used to disarm it.  Your friends are the bomb defusal experts, who have a 23-page manual detailing how to disarm it.  It is up to all of you to communicate effectively enough that you can correctly disarm the bomb within the given time limit.  This game continues to exceed any expectations I have.  I...

Have you ever heard the thought that there's no such thing as an original story?  There are lots of creative people in this world, but all of them draw inspiration from other creative works.  This came up in the trial over the popular " Blurred Lines " song.  Pharrell Williams, a defendant who lost his case in court, said that creativity was stifled by this verdict, and it became more dangerous for anyone to make anything that was inspired by anyone.  Although I have not followed the case in any real detail beyond a very nice parody from Glove and Boots , it's easy to see how anyone who is creative for a living has to be very careful they don't accidentally make something too similar to someone else's work.  Although our world is vast with many ideas, there really is still a finite amount of possibilities, and with so many creators, those possibilities are being explored very rapidly.  I bring this up to ask the question: how valuable is it that we contin...

Totally short and random blog post today.  I've been picking up Skyrim again, just in the form of a consistent "quick fix."  It's a thing I'd be doing to kill time when I don't feel like doing anything particularly engaging.  I've played Skyrim enough that it's all pretty much dissected to me at this point, so it can do that.  I've started a new game with it, so the 3 Guardian Stones near the start of the game became relevant to me recently.  For those not already in the know, picking one of these stones let you learn either the Combat, Stealth, or Magic skills 20% faster than normal.  The common wisdom I've heard is that these things are actually bad for you, due to the world leveling up around you (also the same argument for never sleeping, since this also increases your skill gain).  This post is a little analysis of mine on that question.

Another DBZ post, because why not?  After I get some time with my new Doomtown game, I might write a little thing about that.  Right now though, I've finally been able to get a good amount of real experience with the DBZ CCG, and with a new expansion previewed, it seemed right to consider these things.  This won't all be about bad ideas, just mostly.  Hopefully, this will provide a bit of perspective in terms of potentially reintroducing these rules.  Best to get it out now, right?