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...and by that, I'm talking about the most negative aspects of what "gamer culture" is and has been. At what point did people get taken seriously for their choice in gaming platforms? At what point did the industry start catering to people who based their whole life on gaming? And more relevant, when did our culture accept that as normal? I know there have always been bad eggs, going back to the very beginning, but can we mark where it actually branded the hobby?
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I haven't been very active on the AA site recently. This is not because I have lost interest - it is just that I have been travelling around the globe recently as part of my work. I have just returned from Japan, and I though I would write a little bit about it here. I won't bore you with the work side of things, instead I want to write about the three days that I had to myself in Tokyo. This was my first trip to Japan, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The country has a kind of mythical status among computer gamers, being the source of so much gaming culture. The impression that one gets before visiting is that Japan is some kind of futuristic technological utopia - naturally the reality is somewhat different! It is certainly true that games and cartoons have a firm place in Japanese culture, but they are only a small part of the whole picture. From a technology point of view, Japan is roughly the same as the US or Europe, though they do have slighly better mobile phones (all G3) and musical toilets! I don't want to shatter your illusions of Japan completely, so I will confirm that Tokyo is a very impressive city, and walking down its streets is an exhiliarating experience. This is mainly because the city itself is so huge and vibrant. I have visited New York many times, and so I though I knew what a big city was like, but Tokyo is something else. It is really lots of smaller cities all compressed into one huge mega-metropolis. Each sub-city in Tokyo has a different feel, but at no time did it feel intimidating or over-crowded (except on the subway). The people were all very friendly and helpful, and I had no trouble getting around, despite my mininal understanding of the language. Naturally, one of the first places that I went to visit was the Akihabara electric city. cnc_nes__.eps_.zip Akihabara is basically an area of around 5 blocks square completely filled with technology stores. It was a bit overwhelming at first as the place is filled with flashing signs, loud music, and shopkeepers all vying for attention. However, it doesn't take long to block it out and after a few minutes I was hunting for the good stuff, i.e. retro games. About 50% of the stores were selling electrical items (e.g. microwave ovens), and around 30% were mobile phone shops, so it was relatively easy to make progress. It didn't take long for me to locate the famous Super Potato store which is probably the most well-known place for retro games in Tokyo. It is basically two smallish rooms completely stuffed with consoles, games, and accessories. You can find just about anything from Nintendo, Sony, and Sega there, including lots of game-and-watch machines, weird console accessories, and various toys. They even had a Japanese Vectrex, and an Atari 2800, but they were very expensive. I had a great time just looking at everything, but in the end I bought very little as I didn't plan ahead properly, and my skills at decoding Katakana were very limited. I found a few other retro games stores in Akihabara, but Super Potato was definitely the best. I also picked up a Nintendo DS-lite and a copy of New Super Mario Bros just for good measure! The rest of my time was spent sampling the excellent food, and looking at the various tourist attractions in Tokyo. In the end, 3 days was nowhere near enough and I am already attempting to engineer a return visit. I would highly recommend anyone to go there if they haven't already been. It is definitely a cultural experience and very different from western norms. On another note, I have made a bit of progress with my Juno First game. The latest version is attached to this message. It doesn't look too different, but the code has been substantially restructured and improved. Basically the previous version had completely exhausted the available memory and cycles, so it was necessary to do a lot of unrolling and optimising before any further progress could be made. This took a lot of time, and required cycle counting for almost the whole game! However, this version should now have enough free space to enable me to complete the game. As usual, let me know if you find any bugs, or have any suggestions. Chris cnc_nes.zipcnc_nes__.al_.zip
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GlobeTrotter (Trotter for short) is currently visiting me here in Edinburgh as he continues on his worldwide tour. I was supposed to pick him up at the vgXpo but he didn't make it in time, so he came by mail instead. There were some delays as he got impounded by customs on the way over and I had to pay import duty to retrieve him, but eventually he arrived. If this all sounds like gibberish, then this thread should enlighten you Anyway, he will be continuing his journeys soon, but I have attached some photos of his short stay with me below.ChrisTrotter arrives in Edinburgh:Trotter refuels in a dusty Atari 2600jr:Trotter meets another electronic lifeform (a Sony Aibo) at the AI labs where I work:Trotter visits the Scottish parliament building:Trotter meets Greyfriars Bobby:Trotter visits the "Southsider" pub (where this blog got its name):Trotter gets into the festive spirit:Trotter plans his next visit:
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You need to have a thick-skin to be a gamer in Europe. Since the beginning, we have had to suffer from shoddy PAL conversions, lengthy release shedules, and a feeling of total neglect in the market. I am sure there are parts of the world that are worse off, but Europe always comes in as a distinct third place behind Japan and the US. Particularly galling is that a great many games are actually written in Europe, but are still subject to these problems. The latest insult to us Europeans was the extended delay in releasing the PSP console here. The original announced plan was to release at the same time as the US, but the release was delayed many times to ensure that the US was kept properly supplied with the consoles. The end result was that the console was finally released last week after 6 months of delays. During the delay, many jumped-ship to the Nintendo DS (which only suffered minor delays), but others such as myself ensured the wait. However, now that I finally have the console I can't stay mad for long. I have been playing it non-stop for the last few days, to the detriment of everyone and everything else, and I can say that it is the most exciting thing to happen in gaming for a long time. It is basically the portable that I have always dreamed of owning: gorgeous looks, tiny size, amazing screen quality, great games, and reasonably battery life. The only downside is that Sony have locked the thing up tight, and there likely won't be many homebrews for some time. This is a pity, as I can't see how more games could hurt the console, but this seems to be the way things are these days. Anyway, I can't stay and chat any longer - a certain game called Lumines is calling again Chris
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The name of this blog is "The Southsider", which is the name of the pub that I frequent several times a week. I have attached a photo of the establishment below:To the uninitiated, a pub may simply appear to be a drinking house. However, this is only a small part of the picture. The British pub is a tradition here which stretches back to the bronze age, where "pub" is a shortened version of "public house". The purpose of the pub is to act a place where anyone (over the age of 18) can come and drink in a relaxed atmosphere. The pub still fulfills this purpose, and is frequented regularly by all members of society. Certain pubs tend to attract particular groups of people, e.g. students, workers, veterans, sports fans, etc. but in most pubs you will find a mixture of people from all walks of life. It is no accident that the two most popular soap operas here ("Coronation Street" and "Eastenders") have a pub at their core. The pub is a place to gather with colleages, friends, and locals after work to unwind and discuss the days events. After a hard day at work, there is nothing like a good night at the pub with friends to cheer oneself up. The Southsider is my favourite place to meet as it is close to work, popular with friends, and has a good selection of beers.The consumptions of alcohol is only the secondary purpose of the pub. In fact, it is not necessary to drink alcohol at all, though it is accepted practice to order something when inside a pub, even if it is just a coke. The staff in a pub are not there to try and sell you as much drink as possible, instead they are there to ensure the smooth running of the establishment, and to take a background role. Getting drunk in a pub is discouraged, and the staff will generally refuse to serve anyone who appears intoxicated. Most pubs are open all day until late at night (midnight or 1am) and therefore can be visited at any reasonable time. It is not customary to tip the pub staff, unless they are serving food. Most pubs also serve a range of low-cost food, and a "pub lunch" is a frequent occurence in my timetable. Many pubs also provide some additional entertainment at certain times, e.g. quiz nights, live music, stand-up comedy, screenings of sporting events, etc. Also, many special interest groups meet in the pub, e.g. Linux user-groups, book groups, etc. In short, the pub is really at the center of British culture in many different ways.Most countries in Europe have something similar to the pub. However, at the risk of sounding anti-American (which I am not), I have yet to find anything which fulfills the same purpose in the USA. Here are some things that are not the same as a pub: A bar is superficially similar to a pub, but does not serve the same purpose. In particular, most bars that I have visited seem to be almost exclusively populates by men of lower incomes. On the other hand, a pub in the UK is frequented by all members of society, and is just as likely to contain young women as old men. A pub is a focal point for the community, not just a meeting place for a small minority. I will save a discussion of American beer for another entry, but it must be an acquired taste! A theme pub (e.g. a fake Irish pub) closely resembles a pub in appearance, but the atmosphere is all wrong. The commercial focus of the pub is off-putting, and the inhabitants always seem to be all British ex-pats and tourists who are desperate for a real pub! A cafe has a similar atmosphere to a pub, though usually a bit more formal. Most cafes are not open until the early hours of the morning, and of-course the drug of choice is caffeine. Cafes do not have the same social-inclusiveness of a pub, and they are considerably more commercial in nature. I would love to find something that serves the same function as a pub in the USA, but I have been unable to find it on my regular visits. Recently, a group of us were wandering around Manhattan late in the night desparately searching for a place to have a quiet drink, but all we could find were dodgy bars and expensive restaurants! In the end, we simply retired to the hotel cafe for a caffeine injection. I would love to be proved wrong, but I guess it is just a cultural thing!Chris
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