Digital vs. Analog gaming and the true reasons we play

I came across this (via Joystiq) blog post about board games vs. video games. It is frequently suggested that board games are superior to video games because they seem more intelligent, or thoughtful or mindful. I don't disagree with that generally, but the post makes some excellent points about the logistics in setting up, playing and cleaning up a board game compared to a digital game. Frequently I just can't find someone to play Scrabble with or four people who want to play Catan. It is just as much fun to play in both realms, but the digital one is instantly-startable-and-resettable and can be solo.

This report (via Physorg) looks at the deeper needs of gamers. Perhaps we are not just playing to have a life of decadence and fun, but wanting to explore, succeed and satisfy curiosity which it is impossible to achieve in the real world (RW). Personally I feel more comfortable training myself to do things in the digital world because I can fuck up all I need before I am up-and-running on a specific task. It also makes me able to take more risks in the RW.

The plight of the (nearly) 40-year-old gamer.

So I got a Nintendo DS for Christmas from Jimmy. It is a little slice of heaven. I went out and bought some new games for it – enough to keep me busy for awhile and they are terrific. It all just works well and is a blast to use. HOWEVER...

It brought me to a funny place. I feel insecure about being this old (37) and playing games like a 14-year-old. not wanting to feel guilt because it makes me have to crap, I made efforts to parse the feeling. With a little backtracking I realized it happened shortly after several people asked me a question.

"Do you do anything but play games?" Geez. I hope that is already clear, but here we go.

Three points, all of which put me at risk of sounding a little defensive:

1.) Some learn numbers. Some know people well. My job in life is to learn tools. I do it on many, many fronts, with gaming being the least accepted of the bunch. At the moment I am playing the DS and the Wii (two incredibly innovative tools), learning to sew on a machine AND by hand, learning how to construct and present sushi, learning to handle a culinary knife, teaching myself to be a better illustrator, organizing my home, learning Movable Type and carrying a full time job as a graphic designer. In the past I have mastered OSX, A/V systems, cleaning tools, graphic design hand tools, woodworking tools (Ugh.), my treo and the PS2.

There is a lot to pack into life. If I could not sleep and still feel good I wouldn't get a wink. I imagine a world of every day learning something and taking naps between. All at your own pace, all in your own interest. Some people travel, some work – I learn new tools and languages with my husband.

2.) Video games are efficient. They are a direct line to stress relief for me. I work hard and my brain breaks every day. Rather than get all jiggy, I hit electronic rabid rabbits with plungers.

3.) I like playing games.

The Cook's Thesaurus

http://www.foodsubs.com/Eggs.html

How about those printed solar panels?

10 Tech Concepts for 2007 (Popular Mechanics via Slashdot)

This was really interesting read and one which I would find at the beginning of every year. New technologies and the level at which they might impact us in the coming year. A couple stand out:

1. Printed Solar Panels : LOW IMPACT Next step is an energy-generating pair of jeans or solar roofing tiles. Nothing but good can come from this.

2. Plasma Arc Gasifiction: LOW IMPACT (2009) Superheated trash with helpful by-products. Bring it. Build on the craters left by the landfills and do it right.

3. Data Clouds: HIGH IMPACT On it. I can see this one being huge for us in the next year. Ubiquitous data is everything. And it has arrived.

What's your most exciting tech for 2007, whether on or off this list?

Kelvin Kelley's Cool Tools

This is a plug for a site I frequently visit, Cool Tools. It has a rundown of mostly helpful, well-made and super value products and services. In my quest to dsign my life as a simple, effective and cheap machine, I've been scouring and gleaning from Cool Tools for several years. A couple of successful conversions:

Surefire G2 (Buy the battery 12-pack, too.)
Gorillapod (UPDATE: It broke. The plastic just sheared off with little pressure on it. Not really recommended.)
Gorilla Ladder
and not something I bought, but encouraged me to get the catalog: Duluth Trading Company Presentation Twill Jacket

Please comment on anything you find there which you think would be of use. It is a great – and from what I can tell, uninfluenced by sponsorship – site to visit regularly.

Me portfolio website.

I thought this was long gone, but my father kept it hidden and safe for me. My portfolio is once again online. I might even update it now that I know and have made more.

Portfolio

Some highlights? Everything. (hehe) The drawings are my personal favorite part. I would never put up something I hated, so I like everything here at least a little bit. Or it was demostrative of a skill. Or I should shut up.

Go. Wander. Live the dream.

Google-bound

A few years later I find myself firmly embedded into the Google work system. Calendar, Mail, Analytics, Reader... all of it.

Let me back up a bit. Two years ago I got an invite to beta test Gmail. It was one of those invitations people were BUYING and had the buzz power of a Wii. I was elite. I was the shit. Updated contacts, sent out notices, burned bridges to other providers. Easy. I was in.

There was nothing insidious or cloying about how Google worked itself in further. Gmail & co. works. It does all of the necessary tasks and lets you integrate mostly seamlessly. Privacy and fear experts (Not the same thing, btw. I don't want to argue about it.) will tell you that I am setting myself up to be electronically violated or left in the dirt when Google changes its profit machine or gets bought. I don't care and I don't care. Any system which allows me to FEED NEWS THROUGH MY EMAIL AND TRACK MY SEARCHES(AWESOME!) is my new best friend. So someone finds out I was searching for Brazillian Wax videos or information on pot farms in Manhattan. It proves nothing exept that I am curious. Curious AND satisfied.

More things I can do:

- From Google Analytics I learned that someone from Bulgaria has repeatedly visited my blog. Whoever you are, I love you. Same to the person from New Dehli and Wisconson. We are an inclusive, internationally-minded blog. Welcome. Also, No Agenda is driving 13.33% of my traffic. That is 2 people. Thanks. Every bit counts toward inflating my ego.

-Google sucks potential calendar items out of my e-mail and puts them to the right of the e-mail itself. I can click to add them to the calendar. Jesus.

-If I look something up in Google Maps I can text it to my phone, then hit the road. Seriously. When did we not need that? I've saved a freaking tree by not printing directions over the last six months.

That is enough fawning over Google, the provider of this blog. There is much more, but I think we have had our fill for now. Please feel free to comment.

Booby-trap your house for $14.99

SO apparently this dimmer by INTELA is voice-controlled. You set it for a word and when said, it dims whatever is plugged into it. Sounds like a torture device, plain and simple. Two ideas off the top of me head:

- TEACH GRAMMA TO SWEAR LIKE A SAILOR: Attach it to the reading lite by her bed. Program the word as "F*ckwad". Extra points if she loves the idea.

- THE CAT IS IN CONTROL: Hook all the lights in the kitchen to the dimmer. Record the cat's hunger meow. The cat will get fed first. Guaranteed.

INTELA Voice-activated Dimmer -$14.99

Tag of the month: Cooking Obsession

I have an unorthodox way of doing tags. I create new tags for every entry, then slap five old ones on whether they make a lot of sense or not. If you look in the right column and scroll down, you will see a list of them. Go ahead. Explore. Find a common thread. Though it may not seem it, there is a logic: Me mood. A long time ago I realized there are no rules where you don't need them. Unrestricted freedom is rare and should be abused.

About cooking obsession: My boyfriend has a cooking obsession. I get a great payoff because he makes me food. Delicious food. I eat it and ay things like "Mmmm." or "Delicious. Just the right amount of __________." I am going to buy the Wii game "Cooking Mama" the day it comes out to make him happy. I like him happy Jim because that means I am full.

And I did not realize there was going to be a ticking sound...

Jim and I have watched this on Tivo about four-hundred thousand times. Crista Flanagan is hilarious, the character is perfect and we all feel like this from time to time.

Please, please watch this a couple of times. The nuances of her performance make it worth your while.