Gaming as we know it has gone through a lot of changes from its conception. The largest of these, at least in my experience, have been due to the internet. First, in the realm of multiplayer gameplay. I remember my first multiplayer experiences were games like Excite Bike or Contra. Games like In The Hunt, or Gunstar Heroes. These were very basic co-op games that allowed to people to play at the same time. You didn’t interact much with each other, it was merely fun to play at the same time as your friends. The N64 introduced 4-player multiplayer with the likes of GoldenEye (a game that shall never be forgotten). The largest change, though, came with the internet. These days, our shooters are 12 on 12 or more. They’re massive multiplayer contests. We take these things for granted now, but they were really quite unheard of just 15 years ago.
However, we didn’t lose anything with this shift. Titles like Castle Crashers still give us the same feel that we got out of Streets of Rage. The internet just makes it easier to get our friends together, while also allowing more of our friends to get in on the action. A win/win. However, the internet is taking one thing from us as well… The physical distribution medium.
I have every confidence that digital downloads will be the only way to acquire games in the future. Maybe not the next generation of consoles, but perhaps by the one after that. Every child growing up today with an iPhone is already accustomed to the notion that buying games means going to an online store, and downloading the title. We all know that Steam allows us perhaps the easiest access to PC gaming that we’ve ever had. Can you honestly remember the last time you went and purchased a PC game? Rather than downloading it from the internet? Consoles are really the last bastion of physical distribution that we see today, and it’s only a matter of time before they go the same way.
Objectively, this isn’t a bad thing. It’s easier for the distributor and the player. It solves the “used game sales” problem, ensuring that companies that make good games get paid for them. It means you’ll never lose or break another disk again. However, it also means we lose this:
I bet you’re mad jealous of my Ikea bookshelf, huh?
Yup, that’s my bookshelf. Taken minutes before I started writing this article. I’ve got all the games I’ve seen fit to keep since the N64 and PS1 (sadly lost most of my NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis stuff…). I’ve got original copies of Valkyrie Profile, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Ico. Gold cartridges of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. A signed copy of Catherine. I’ve kept all the games that I played throughout my life that made me think: “Damn, this game is something special. This game has something that no other game has, and it’s worth keeping forever.”
In 10 years, or however long it takes, when we have a purely digital distribution of games, this sort of bookshelf won’t exist. There will be no stacks of wonderful box-art. You won’t be able to walk by your collection on your way out and think: “Man, yeah, that title was awesome”. And that’s sad to me. I’m the type of guy that still buys books. I don’t have many, because I’m poor and TGF doesn’t pay me, but those that I do own, I want physical copies of. I don’t own a Nook or Kindle or whatever for that very reason.
I try to stay diverse. Where else are you going to find Avatar: The Last Airbender on the same shelf as The Origin of Species?’
There is just a tactile value in having a physical object that is irreplaceable. I am proud of my collection of games and books, but I have no such pride in the fact that I have maybe 13 downloaded games on my PS3. Maybe another 8 on my iPhone? I can’t even tell you what they are except for maybe Journey and Fat Princess? I imagine a lot of the younger generation is going to not have any idea why I dread the day when digital downloads become our only option (because, again, I promise you that day is coming), and that some of the older gamers among you already understand exactly what I’m getting at.
So in the end, what is the point of this article if I’m not really telling anyone anything new? Maybe it’s just a preemptive attempt to acknowledge an inevitable loss. All I know for sure, is that when I have a child of my own and the day comes when we pull down the boxes from the attic, and I hand him or her a pristine copy of Xenogears, that it’s going to mean a lot to me to physically pass the torch. And I wouldn’t trade that for all the convenience or practicality in the world.
My interest has been perked
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year and a half now, but I’m starting to feel like our relationship was built on lies? We started dating in early October, and everything seemed perfect at first. We were both eachother’s firsts too. But in January he started lying excessively to get out of seeing me. I was too weak of a person to leave him, and I never confronted the fact that I knew he was lying. I always gave myself the benefit of the doubt that maybe he really was “too tired” on a saturday night. He had a bad drug problem, partied often, and sold drugs as well. Of course I was aware of his drug habits but from the info he gave me, he only smoked like once or twice a month and dealed a year ago. I expressed my dislike in his drugs habits and so he tried harder to hide it from me. I remember him standing me up for dates, “forgetting” to drive me to school. He was so emotionally cut off but at the same time I was so in love with him, that I believed he’d realize what he was missing. On prom nIght, he was so drugged up and drunk that he got me pregnant. In June I had his abortion. It’s now one of the greatest regrets of my life. And I believe I resent him because of the loss of my child. He promised me he was going to change. And I believed him. I truly believed he loved me since I loved him unconditionally. In August he left for college and I wouldn’t see him until thanksgiving time. I never doubted what he was doing. We went into this with blind trust. Thanksgiving rolled around and I swore I smelled smoke on him so I confronted him. He started crying saying he’d never to such a thing. He left to go back to college and I still trusted him. On my birthday he told me he was arrested for shoplifting. I was very disappointed in him but of course we moved on. When he came back for Christmas break, on the night of new years eve, he fell asleep on my couch. I felt very suspicious and decided to read his text messages from friends in the other state seeing as how he got rid of his bad influential friends here. When I read his messages, my heart shattered. He had been smoking weed, but worst of all, talking to girls and talking about how hot they were. I woke him up and told him to leave. The next day we hung out and I told him I no longer loved him. A couple days later however I gave him a second chance. Now, he completely has changed. We talk every night, I’m able to track him, everything.
But for some reason I can’t move on. I can’t forgive him. I’m starting to believe that I don’t truly love him anymore; I’m just in love with the way things used to be. I get angry at him for no reason, I don’t send him cute lovey dovey messages anymore, I don’t call him just because. I don’t want to move on, I love him but I don’t think I’m as in love as I used to be. He asks me when I’ll be able to forgive him and I just can’t. If you truly love someone you wouldn’t hurt them like that. On the inside I’m completely crushed. Sure, we have a majority of good days, but I think I’m in the way of us completely being happy seeing as how I harbor my feelings and resentment towards the old him.
I see him and I get butterflies but when I think of us when we first started dating I think of the nights where I waited all night by the door with our movie on pause, and our Chinese food laid out, while our sundaes were in the freezer.
He calls me insensitive because I barely cry anymore. And when he says that, all I can think of is when I gave him 110% of myself. I think of the times he drove me home, and I cried begging him to not go to the clubs and hang out with me. I cried until my contacts fell out.
He truly is sorry I know. And I know he loves me. But I can’t get over it. As much as I want to I can’t.
Please somebody give me advice
I’m sorry this is long I’m just so upset and confused
I have a wall up now, it’s like I’m not emotionally involved anymore. He gives me everything and now I give him nothing.
I don’t want to lose him seeing how he’s such a great guy now but I can’t get over his mistakes and it kills me
Don’t feel like you have to read it all, especially if it isn’t engaging, but any comments would be great, also the sort of age range this should be aimed at. The era is early 20th century.
he expansive property of the Forster’s residence was comparatively lowly populated, demanding only ten household staff, of which five, at present, were clung to each other, ears clamped to the heavy sitting room door. The new gardener and the young stable boy were left outside with muddy boots but the youngest of the staff, fourteen year old scullery maid named Anna, was running between the two groups with eager updates. The head cleaner, Mrs Crumble, was in the masters bedroom, inspecting the recently dressed bed and the old gardener was in the potting shed enjoying a pipe.
“Fired?” Asked Flossy from behind the door.
“Yes, I’m afraid so Florence. It’s not that you broke the vase, it’s that you just won’t admit to it.”
“But Mrs Forster, I won’t admit to it because I didn’t break it. I promise you, I didn’t.”
Mrs Forster sighed a patient sigh, shook her head and continued in a kindly but firm tone, ” Sorry, but this is the only thing I can do Florence. You know my household rules and you’ve broken them so I have you let you go.”
“But you said yourself Mrs Forster, you said as I was one of the best cleaners you’ve had in years!” argued Flossy.
This caused several audible exclamations from the opposite side of the door. These were stifled by quiet hushes from the more sensible, older members of staff.
“You have been my dear, and it’ll be a shame to lose you, you are always punctual and my windows haven’t sparkled so much since the day Mr Forster had them put in. But you always were a careless girl with your hands, I’ve never known such a little butter fingers.”
“But I always pay for anything that I break.” frowned Flossy.
“That’s right Florence, even though I never expected you to, I know how accidents can happen whilst one is dusting. And don’t think I haven’t found that honourable. Which is why I am so disappointed this time that you won’t just be honest about it. I won’t expect you to pay, after all, it is only a silly old vase. If only you tell me what happened, perhaps we can forget all about this whole thing.”
“I don’t know what happened! But I know whatever it was I wasn’t there!” cried Flossy, exasperated.
Another sigh filled the air. “Very well Flossy. And who exactly are you proposing did break the vase? Since Mr Forster’s been ill of late, we haven’t entertained many guests, in fact the last visitor we’ve had was Mrs Drake and that was over a week ago. The room has been locked since then Flossy, and you are the first person in here since then!”
“Perhaps it was stolen! I overheard Mrs Drake commenting on it.”
“That’s because she has an almost identical vase since we brought them together at a market a good many years ago.” explained Mrs Forster, “And I hope that you are not calling one of my oldest friends a thief Florence! You’re imagination will get you into trouble one day, I’ve never known a girl as curious as yourself.” Mrs Foresters’ tone was hardening by the second.
“But it really wasn’t me Mrs Forster!”
“That’s enough now Miss Fairfields” Flossy knew she was in trouble when Mrs Forster called her by that name. “I’ll hear no more buts. You will take your last pay and be on your way. I’ll give a fair report to your next employer, but I’ll not have a liar working in my house. Good day now Flossy.” said Mrs Forster with unmistakable finality.
Flossy had been raised with a strong importance on politeness so she thanked Mrs Forster for her five year long employment.
“But I’ll not take the money. Perhaps you can put it towards a new vase!” finished Flossy indignantly and quite stomped out of the room, down the kitchen stairs and out into the back garden. Equally identifying their employers unyielding tone, the staff had scarpered moments before, but Anna was on her leg back from the gardeners and flew straight into Mrs Forster.
Shaking her head, Mrs Forster said, “Will you kindly post this envelope to Miss Fairfield’s address Mrs Crumble.” to her flustered head of house, who’d just been violently brushed past upon descending the stairs by a crying Flossy.
“Yes, Ma’am of course.” And realising no explanation as to the young cleaner’s hurried departure was going to be given, Mrs Crumble hurried off to find the stamps.
Flossy had, by this time, collected her bike from the potting shed, said a warm goodbye to old Bill the gardener and whistled for her dog who was quite put out at having been cut short from her explorations of t
The sky was an unexpected shade of cornflower blue and when Flossy finally forgot her bad mood and looked up, she decided it was too rare a sky in the middle of Autumn to waste going straight home. Instead, she pulled her bike over a rotten sty, knocking off a piece of lose wood, and walked with Jammy down a track to her favourite spot by a secret stream in the middle of a poppy meadow. She knew that probably many people knew about the bright blue stream, but she like to imagine that it was her very own special place where she and Jammy could sit or play. Today, she was sitting whilst Jammy played.
The poppies were no longer a lustrous red due to the changing of seasons, but could still be seen swimming around her for acres in every direction like rust infected waters. After a good half hour of sitting and thinking and watching Jammy chase frogs, she suddenly jumped up and announced in a defiant voice…
Hey there! I have never been in a relationship and am like completely oblivious to the whole process. There is this guy who is in most of my classes and we talk a lot and I have feelings for him but I don’t know if he feels the same. His behaviour is really hot and cold it. Some days I’m sure that he is flirting and then there are others that are leaving me questioning his actions. Somedays after class he will wait for me and then together we would chat about how we did on the tests and stuff like that. I usually walk with him to his next class after the one because I have a spare in third period so I have a lot of time (3rd period and then lunch)
We mostly talk about school since we are really busy with homework (and we are in all the same classes) to see how the other person is doing. Him and I also discuss our home lives and he seems to let me in on some pretty deep stuff. If he doesn’t understand something or needs notes, he’ll always come to me and insist that he owes me big time. Also when he found out that I had MSN messenger, he pulled out his phone and added me right then and there. My group that I’m doing the project with wanted to make plans after our huge project is over, they decided next Saturday night would be a good day. When I told them that I can’t go because I have other plans he tried really hard to get me to cancel my best friends birthday party and come. There have been a few accidental touches and he sometimes drops the line about his EX girlfriend. Sometimes when he talks about certain things it almost feels like he wants to impress me. Then today he texted me because he missed class and needed the notes. I texted him back saying that wouldn’t be a problem and asked if he was OK. He never texted back after I let him know that it was all right to have the notes. We are currently in the 11th grade so we are kind of old for this. Am I just reading into the situation or does he really like me.
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year and a half now, but I’m starting to feel like our relationship was built on lies? We started dating in early October, and everything seemed perfect at first. We were both eachother’s firsts too. But in January he started lying excessively to get out of seeing me. I was too weak of a person to leave him, and I never confronted the fact that I knew he was lying. I always gave myself the benefit of the doubt that maybe he really was “too tired” on a saturday night. He had a bad drug problem, partied often, and sold drugs as well. Of course I was aware of his drug habits but from the info he gave me, he only smoked like once or twice a month and dealed a year ago. I expressed my dislike in his drugs habits and so he tried harder to hide it from me. I remember him standing me up for dates, “forgetting” to drive me to school. He was so emotionally cut off but at the same time I was so in love with him, that I believed he’d realize what he was missing. On prom nIght, he was so drugged up and drunk that he got me pregnant. In June I had his abortion. It’s now one of the greatest regrets of my life. And I believe I resent him because of the loss of my child. He promised me he was going to change. And I believed him. I truly believed he loved me since I loved him unconditionally. In August he left for college and I wouldn’t see him until thanksgiving time. I never doubted what he was doing. We went into this with blind trust. Thanksgiving rolled around and I swore I smelled smoke on him so I confronted him. He started crying saying he’d never to such a thing. He left to go back to college and I still trusted him. On my birthday he told me he was arrested for shoplifting. I was very disappointed in him but of course we moved on. When he came back for Christmas break, on the night of new years eve, he fell asleep on my couch. I felt very suspicious and decided to read his text messages from friends in the other state seeing as how he got rid of his bad influential friends here. When I read his messages, my heart shattered. He had been smoking weed, but worst of all, talking to girls and talking about how hot they were. I woke him up and told him to leave. The next day we hung out and I told him I no longer loved him. A couple days later however I gave him a second chance. Now, he completely has changed. We talk every night, I’m able to track him, everything.
But for some reason I can’t move on. I can’t forgive him. I’m starting to believe that I don’t truly love him anymore; I’m just in love with the way things used to be. I get angry at him for no reason, I don’t send him cute lovey dovey messages anymore, I don’t call him just because. I don’t want to move on, I love him but I don’t think I’m as in love as I used to be. He asks me when I’ll be able to forgive him and I just can’t. If you truly love someone you wouldn’t hurt them like that. On the inside I’m completely crushed. Sure, we have a majority of good days, but I think I’m in the way of us completely being happy seeing as how I harbor my feelings and resentment towards the old him.
I see him and I get butterflies but when I think of us when we first started dating I think of the nights where I waited all night by the door with our movie on pause, and our Chinese food laid out, while our sundaes were in the freezer.
He calls me insensitive because I barely cry anymore. And when he says that, all I can think of is when I gave him 110% of myself. I think of the times he drove me home, and I cried begging him to not go to the clubs and hang out with me. I cried until my contacts fell out.
He truly is sorry I know. And I know he loves me. But I can’t get over it. As much as I want to I can’t.
Please somebody give me advice
I’m sorry this is long I’m just so upset and confused
I have a wall up now, it’s like I’m not emotionally involved anymore. He gives me everything and now I give him nothing.
I don’t want to lose him seeing how he’s such a great guy now but I can’t get over his mistakes and it kills me
I have been searching for a really fun online game besides club penguin and all the younger kid games. I’ve gotten some really good recommendations, but when I go to check them out, the only thing they seem to be about is killing animals, people, or monsters. Are there any good multiplayer role playing games that don’t involve killing?
I went to a local store to by a black and colored print cartridge for my printer hp psc 1310. The salesman asked me about a number that i seems that the print cartridge should have, but i dont no the number and i throwed away the old print cartridges. What number should have the black and colored print cartridge of hp psc 1310 printer?
How do cannon makes their ink cartridges that no other ink cartridge will work with their printers?My refiled cartridge didn’t working and printer software says it’s can’t recognized it.
I have refilled my print cartridge, C9362W way before the msg tells me I am out of ink and now it still flashes the black ink cartridge is empty.
How do I reset it?
Thanks!
I am considering developing apps for the iOS(4g specifically) but first i need to know how multiplayer functions work. Do people use a specific clients to host servers and connect people? or does apple and the iOS have an internal function when buying the SDK?
Any information is great appreciated.
How do I get my HP Deskjet 832c to print with only a black cartridge? The printer won’t work because it says it needs a cartridge. Does that mean I have to install the color cartridge too for it to work?
If I accidently put a black ink cartridge in the yellow slot in my printer, what would happen? Would my printer be ruined permanently? Or would it be ok after I switched the cartridge to the correct colour again? Thanks!
I have a Pentair Clean and Clean cartridge filter for my in ground pool and I need to replace the cartridge. In the past I have used Unicel, but was recently told about Filbur and they are less expensive. Does anyone have any experience with these filters, which one do you recommend and why?
Hi, I have HP 380 ( All in one) inkjet printer which has 21b & 22b cartridges.
I have to print around 100-150 pages a month. The new cartridge lasts for 20-25 days. So I want to refill the 21b cartridge.
My query is Approximately how many times 21b can be refilled without doing any hazard to the printer?