Replaying Deus Ex and Dragon Age

At the moment I have redirect much of my hobbying time into other pursuits: two games to which I happily return are Dragon Age and Deus Ex (HR) Both games are well suited to 15 minute episodes. They have great soundtracks, and they both scratch a fantasy and sci-fi itch respectively. And, in lieu of time to explore new games, they keep me ticking along as the classic games they are.&nb...

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A hardcore gamer

An interesting post worth of consideration (and the putting down of my work this Sunday day) referred to the notion of what a 'hardcore' gamer is. The word 'hardcore' has obvious connotations, not all of which are positive. It also evokes the idea that gaming as a hobby is a fad that only attracts certain people, and those people often being teenagers. This isn't too dissimilar to the notion that pop literature attracts people with too much time on their hands. One point made was that a hardcore gamer absorbs the genre and history of the game, rather than just its visceral experience. This is not entirely dissimilar to a point made by a moderator who stated that someone might watch Terminator 2 for its incredible explosions and generally awesome killer-robots. Another person might watch...

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What do teachers really think about games?

Again, a great thread from the PC-Gamer board. As usual, I'm not responsible for the content of this outside link: http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17031 At another parents(') evening last week (where I tell parents how their children are progressing in English), I had three sets of folks who told me their kids played too many games. Of course, their kids are probably playing too many FPS games, and I tried to direct them towards something else. Here's an interesting article on what some teachers think about games in school, in light of a teaching union (albeit the smallest one) saying that there needs to be some legislation against violent games:http://beefjack.com/features/what-do...ut-videogames/My take? I think that every student in the 21st Century UK is entitled...

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Suitable Games for 12 year olds.

Very interesting thread about games suitable for 12 year olds: http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170...

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The value of an imaginative life

For a fair time I have been concerned with the importance, or not of nurturing an imaginative life. I'm going to take a wander for 500 words or so, and talk about how it relates to games afterwards. Tolstoy, who was pretty much embroiled in the benefits of an imaginative life, started a farm (Tolstoy farm!) partly because he wanted to see the fruits of his labour manifested in a physical form. So much of my reading and writing and gaming does not exist in a manifest form. Yes, I can see the words on a page, or the picture on a screen, or the books on my desk. My stats can be counted, and games can be completed. But there is not a physical entity at the end of it. It is not like I make something that can be held or admired. There is something Kantian in playing games: what is the difference...

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