Boardgames, Role-playing games, video and computer games
I have an archaeology degree because of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but Lara Croft isn’t far behind Indy in the “archaeologist of my heart” department. I played Tomb Raider a lot when I was younger, but just got around to playing the 2013 franchise reboot game this year. Tomb Raider is an intense and riveting first-person (Edited: It’s actually third-person in gaming...
In response to my post about Journey, my friend Ted pointed me at two articles about the game, both of which proved fascinating: “Seeking the Light” at the Brainy Gamer, about how: Journey elegantly conveys sapta bodhyanga, or the Seven Factors of Enlightenment in Buddhist philosophy: Mindfulness Investigation Energy Joy or rapture Relaxation or tranquility Concentration Equanimity...
I’d been hearing great things about a PS3-only video game called Journey, but knew almost nothing else about it until I sat down to try it out last week. Three hours later, I’d finished the game and been profoundly affected by it. You wake alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, and soon discover the looming mountaintop which is your goal. Faced with rolling sand...
I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons since I taught myself at 12, but I only painted lead miniatures while I was at college and for a few years after that. So 20 years ago, for those of you who want the math. I recently unearthed my old box of painted figures and took a few pictures. My favorite figure by far was this human ranger. Her bow is still strung after two decades, but she’s...
This entry is about World of Warcraft, but don’t run! It’s really more about names. My main character River recently tamed a new wild animal to be her best friend and fight by her side. Sadly, I have been unable to come up with a name for him/her. The bird is a “Lost Torranche,” one of the giant purple creatures living on a forgotten island floating off the edge of the...
I love board games. I love them so much, I would marry them if I could. They’re fun, they’re social, and the good ones make you think in all sorts of great, brain-stretching ways. If I’m ever made supreme ruler of the world, board games will the universal pastime. Oh, yes, to the point of this blog entry. I linked to a great game called Ticket to Ride on Twitter the other day...
Chris had to work on New Year’s Eve, so we decided to spend the night at home, in the company of each other, our cat, and our online friends in the World of Warcraft. We celebrated New Year’s on the East Coast, in Central time, and on West Coast time with much (in-game) drinking and dancing and fireworks. The highlight for me was our naked dungeon run, pictured below: From 2008...
I spent Saturday gallavanting around the ocean with friends. We did a whale-watching tour and then ate on a pier overlooking the waves afterward. It was a simply fabulous day, despite the driving and the bright, bright sun. But I started to feel sick Saturday night, and by Sunday morning I decided to stay in, relax, and not get sick. I canceled my screenwriting meeting, I canceled Lulu’s. I...
I had a good coupla days, though I played too much World of Warcraft. Friday night: kung fu and tai chi. Pushups attained a new level of Ow with the addition of a concrete can. And, after more than a year, I’ve almost learned the basics of the entire tai chi form. Yeah, it’s a long, freakin’ form! After martial arts? WoW. Saturday: screenplay meeting in the morning (more later)...