Social Gaming

One topic that I am very vocal about is social gaming. As a gamer who tries to stay up to date with the latest news and developments in the industry, it has become clear (and rather annoying to be honest) that the mass media has, as they have always done, been ignorant and short-sighted when spamming me with all of their redundant and repetitive claims concerning “what gaming has become” and “where gaming is going.” These claims always involve the typical “Apple has taken over the market” and “no one wants video game consoles (whether they be home or handheld)” because of all of the smartphones and tablets that have seemingly become all the rage lately. I am tired of people who aren’t gamers talk about “what the video game industry has become” when all they do is repeat what a previous mark said months ago in some other article. All they do is copy and paste the same old shit. Yes, I am perfectly aware that social gaming has taken up more than half of the market as far as revenue goes, but I am also perfectly aware of how easy it is for so called “analysts” to overlook some very basic, common sense facts that most people just don’t seem to get.

#1

Everyone has a cell phone. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone, but more and more people are getting them as older models are becoming obsolete and no longer sold. In the very same essence, no one really needs a tablet, but everyone wants one since it is, more than anything, the current “trend” and “fad” product on the market. These products change with the times. In the mid 2000’s, it was the DS. Before that, it was the laptop, before that, the PC, and before that, the television etc. etc. There’s always something that we materialistic bastards want.

#2

Because smartphones are not dedicated gaming devices, many people who were not originally gamers are becoming what we can call “social gamers,” “cheap gamers,” or people who just play games but don’t consider themselves gamers. I wouldn’t consider them gamers either, but nevertheless, they are spending money in “micro amounts,” which has allowed companies like Zynga to become billion-dollar giants within the short span of 4 years. However, people seem to forget that the majority of these people with their smartphones and tablets (and who have no desire to play “traditional” games) are most likely not the same kind of consumer as a “real” gamer is. I am talking about the gamer who has played video games since he/she was a kid, who grew up on the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, Playstation, etc. So therefore, rather than seeing social gaming as “taking control” over the video game industry, I see them as expanding it. I do not see social gaming as catering to the same kind of consumer who would purchase a PS3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo 3DS for example. One of the reasons why the Wii was such a success was because it expanded the market to “casual gamers,” who we now call “social gamers” because these are people who do not normally play video games, at least not “real” video games (as I like to call them), or rather, “traditional” video games. And of course, there are those who are dumb enough to spend more than $20-50 a month on these social games for dumb virtual items that help demonstrate how dumb they are. That’s enough money to buy an actual game, so these dumb consumers aren’t really saving any money. They are just finding a different way to spend it.

#3

A real/traditional gamer will always prefer sticking to their dedicated gaming console(s) as opposed to fully converting over to social/casual gaming. Of course, every gamer is different, and many of what I would call the “new generation” of gamers, which mainly consists of kids or adults who never really played games, find their cellphones/tablets to be all they need. However, analysts who really know nothing about the gaming industry simply because they are not gamers (or at least, not real gamers) would do well not speak for us actual gamers. I am sick of reading statements like “most gamers no longer see a reason to own a dedicated gaming console or handheld” when quite frankly, that is not the case. You have to distinguish between the real/traditional gamers and the casual/social gamers, because quite frankly, they are two different types of consumers. Most people who spend all day playing Angry Birds, Farmville, or whatever else is out there were never gamers to begin with. They don’t care to spend $100-300 on dedicated gaming devices and $20-60 for each game because they simply lack the interest to invest their funds in something they are not wholly interested in. This is basic common sense. They did not buy video games before, and there is no reason for them to do so now. Instead, they have now been given an alternative, which is social gaming. These games are cheap, these games are simple, and these games are far more accessible to everyone. However, these games also don’t cut it for people like me, the real/traditional gamer, and the person who despite what the analysts have said, is still willing to spend money on dedicated gaming devices and actual games.

Only when they are on sale, at least.

I will probably further discuss this topic later at another time, but for now I think this pretty sums up most of my thoughts. If anything, it offers a different perspective from the redundant analyst spam that keeps popping up everywhere on the Internet.

CM Punk Tribute Part 1

The first time I saw CM Punk was around 2006 when I saw one of his matches online with Samoa Joe from when they were in Ring of Honor. The match was amazing, and I remember later when WWE hired him they (ROH) were doing the storyline of him winning the ROH Heavyweight title and then turning on the fans. I have to say, I was really impressed with him as a heel, shatting on the fans who supported him for so long, and how he always felt that he was better than everyone else. He was one of those guys, who even then, I knew could be an amazing star on the “mainstream” wrestling show, but who I knew would most likely go unappreciated and underutilized. This feeling came partially because of what I saw happened to Christian, who ultimately became my favorite wrestler, and who, like CM Punk, was (and still is) one of the best performers the company had, yet because he didn’t fit a certain “image” or “blueprint,” he got overlooked, under-appreciated, and in many ways, shat on.

CM Punk is truly someone who worked his way up from the bottom. I still don’t quite understand why WWE felt it was necessary to send him to developmental when, if they had just paid a little attention to the amazing work he was doing in ROH (and if they had any common sense), they could have quickly come to realize that this was a performer who clearly has a good grasp of his character and his wrestling abilities. This was not someone who needed “training.”

But of course, CM Punk went with the “plans” (or rather, lack of) that the WWE had for him. He started at the bottom, and he worked his way up. I remember when the words “CM Punk is coming to ECW” aired on an episode of the “new” ECW (of course, what WWE did with ECW is another long, heated topic that can, and has been discussed elsewhere, everywhere). My first impressions were “Oh cool, but WWE is probably not going to utilize him properly.” I was more into TNA at this time, since my favorite wrestler was there being a main-eventer along with other reasons that TNA seemed far more appealing at the time (X-Division, X-Division, X-Division). Of course, since then TNA has become far less interesting.

This was the time period (2005-2006~) when I was really getting into wrestling. The athleticism and entertainment that you find in pro-wrestling quite simply cannot be found anywhere else. I spent many hours going through the old videos that were posted online of stars and events from the 80’s, the 90’s, and the early 2000’s. I didn’t want to be one of those confused, bandwagon fans who didn’t know what he was watching and who was incapable of appreciating the hard work, dedication, and talent many of these wrestlers continue to show. I am by no means a longtime fan, as I was one of those kids during the late 90’s who listened to all of the other kids repeat the Rock’s and Steve Austin’s catchphrases without really understanding why.

During his early years in WWE, I could tell that CM Punk was often brushed aside in favor of the other guys (Bobby Lashley comes to mind) who were “more in line” with what the company wanted. I honestly cannot remember one promo where CM Punk really sounded like CM Punk (and of course, most fans wouldn’t have been able to tell either way) prior his heel turn in the summer of 2009. I really feel that CM Punk is a natural heel, which is why I was really glad when they finally turned him. However, even then it seems like the WWE never got behind him, even when the fans did (whether they were booing him or cheering him). This is why I was not surprised when he wanted to leave the WWE during this past summer.

Games, Food, and Netflix

Just got back from having dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. It was satisfyingly delicious, as always, and as always I feel guilty about not having eaten enough since it's an all you can eat buffet. Unfortunately (or fortunately, rather) I'm the type who prefers not eating an excessive amount of food in one setting. Lately, I've been trying to gain wait (currently at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week) since I've noticed that I've lost quite a bit of weight over the past few years. I've been increasing my caloric intake, and I've been trying to eat 5-6 times a day, but I'm still staying away from junk food (I don't want to be fat, I just want to weigh more lol). I've gotten back into training, which is good, but there's still always the problem of laziness. Curse you laziness!

I want to thank everyone who wished me Merry Christmas (which probably doesn't matter, since they are people who most likely won't read this, but oh well XD). It's nice to know that there are still people who are willing to take time out of their busy lives just to wish you well, you know? Whether it's family or friends, sometimes it's the simple things that really matter.

So for the past two months I've been spoiling myself. I've been spending a lot of money on... video games XD. On Black Friday a picked up the PS3 holiday bundle for $200, and bought a shat ton of games including:

Uncharted 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Assassin's Creed 2
God of War 3
Batman Arkham City
Batman Arkham Asylum
Final Fantasy XIII
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Castlevania Lords of Shadow

And just today I picked up Assassin's Creed Revelations for 30$ (using my 10$ gift card) at Best Buy DX. Thankfully it was a first print that also came with the first game, as I was thinking about returning it if it didn't, el oh el. Yeah... that's a lot of games. Thankfully pretty much all of them were on sale, but even a lot of cheap things can add up quickly. I waited... 5 years to get a PS3, and I'm glad I was able to get all (pretty much) the games I wanted to play. Last year I did something similar with the Wii, which I mainly got to play Skyward Sword. I'm thinking with all of these games that I will be playing (and the ones I've already played) I might start reviewing them and posting my "critiques" on my blog. I should probably keep a "what I'm playing right now diary" too.

Oh yeah, I've gotten hooked to Netflix, el oh el.

If you have a PS3 and I know who you are, feel free to add me! My screen name is... ShadPanda (big surprise, right? XD).

Sure, why not?

It's been forever since I last posted. I've thought about starting my blog back up again, several times, but I always figured that there wasn't any point. No one reads it, but at the same time, that's something I never cared about. What I have noticed though, is that it has become clear me that I always have something to say, and always have something to write about, though I may not always speak or write my mind. So, as it has always been, this blog will be my haven, my personal diary, and something for me to utilize (as well as neglect) however I want without any fear of criticism or repercussions. Too many times over the past year especially I've felt like posting something, but didn't bother. Now, I will write when I feel like writing, and when I don't feel like writing, I won't write. This is what the Internet is for right? Putting something up, then forgetting about it. If I happen to die tomorrow from a crazy accident, at least there will be some record of my random thoughts, opinions, and life. That's good, isn't it?

So I will be writing a lot, maybe, and mostly of things I'm interested in. I'm not a fan of discussing the mundane details of my life, but I do enjoy giving long monologues promoting, reviewing, and critiquing the things I like (and dislike). These things will include video games, movies, psychology, philosophy, boxing/MMA/pro-wrestling, and other things that I heart.
I am highly opinionated, but my opinions are always based on good reasoning and emotionalizing skills. I am also an over-thinker, an excessively self-conscious person, and I like food and sleep. Nice to meet you!