CREATIVE, WORK

Feeding The Ego

It’s Tuesday morning and I am sitting at my desk just absolutely full of piss and vinegar.  I was forced to go home on Monday, using up one of my few days off by the head guy in our department because I came in just a little too sick.  Then,  I come in today to find the hag who is our second-in-command had my old chair removed, never mind that I can’t get comfortable in the stupid new overpriced “ergonomic” chairs.  To top it all off, the idiot sitting next to me keeps on harping about how I made everyone else in the office sick, never mind that he could have sent me home last week when he was in charge, and doesn’t go home himself to recover.  Everyone in the office is hacking and coughing, but I have to be the one sent home.

All that combined made me feel about two-foot small, and all I wanted to do for the rest of the day was sit at my desk, fester like a mushroom until quitting time and then unload at home with some good old fashioned videogame violence or Rock Band.  I fired up my laptop, put on some headphones, and turned up some Smashmouth, hoping it would drown out the constant cacophony of ringing phones, conferences and meetings that I have to work through.  It almost does the job.

As I sat at my desk seething while my PC took forever-and-a-day to download a new security update, I heard a chirp from my cell phone.  I picked it up, expecting to see an IM from one of my friends, but instead I saw a Twitter update.  Hm, I didn’t know it did that.  Neato.  The tweet read:  “Thanks to randomizer9 for making an ‘unofficial’ San Japan :3 commercial for us.  Now featured on our YouTube page”

As I read the screen, I smiled and felt so much better.  Putting something before the monkey house that is the Internet is always asking for trouble.  As a budding voice-over artist, I wasn’t sure how my latest effort would be received.  I have gotten very little feedback from strangers on all the podcasts, blog posts and articles I have thrown to the slippery walls of the Internet so far.   Knowing that The Guys In Charge Of San Japan liked it was very encouraging, and gave me a little ego-boost when I really needed it.

I like to think that I have a small ego, but the fact of the matter is that it is still there, and it likes to be thrown a bone every so often.  As a computer programmer, I am accustomed to being on the bottom of the totem pole.  As odd as it sounds; I actually like it there, because that is where the fun stuff is.  I read Dilbert and MyCage and joke about the people in charge just like everyone else, but being constantly stepped on does get old after awhile and I wonder if this is the “epiphany” telling me that I need to get out of Dodge.

But, you know what?  That angst can wait until I fire up Borderlands tonight and pump everything that moves full of hot lead or start up Rock Band and cue up some punk songs.  I’ll gladly ride this little ego-boost through the rest of my crappy workday and give it another shot tomorrow…after sending some resumes out tonight, of course!

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CONS, RANDOM REVIEW, TEXAS COMICCON, Videogames

RANDOM REVIEW: Texas ComicCon 2010

Bustin' makes them feel good!

I went to the Texas Comic-Con to support a new con, support my friends, and to check out what was there to see.  The con’s homepage featured a menagerie of guests ranging from indie comic artists, actors, and even The Honky Tonk Man.

I wondered what else awaited me on Friday after lunch as I turned left onto Marbach Street on my way to the San Antonio Event Center.  First-time events are something of a crapshoot.  At best, everything goes off with a minimum of fuss, at worst, it can be painful to both watch and to be a part of.

Even though I was fairly sure I was not going to make it out Sunday, I purchased a three-day pass.  I was disappointed to find that I did not receive a pass to wear around my neck, but instead I was given a red plastic wristband that I apparently would have to keep on my wrist until Sunday afternoon.  Ew.  To make that first impression even worse, the gentleman that took my money didn’t even help me put it on!

After I fumbled with the wristband for a few minutes, I entered the convention proper.  The San Antonio Event Center provided a fairly large space, but one could tell its glory days were far behind it.  As if to emphasize this point, I would find that some of the tables and chairs provided to the exhibitors were a bit on the rickety side.  As is often the case with cons, Friday was a slow day, and indeed, some of the exhibitors were in the midst of setting up their tables as I walked around.

The Texas Comic-Con can best be described in two words: Nerd Gumbo.  While the phrase “something for everybody” is frequently overused, it fits here.  Just off the top of my head, there were comics, videogames, action figures, Star Wars, Lego, Ghostbusters from two cities (Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth), costumers, tabletop gaming, one retired wrestler and a few actors, including San Antonio’s own Jonathan Joss of “King of the Hill” fame.  I wondered if “Comic-Con” was the right description for an event that had such a variety of things and people to see.  To be fair, though, there were a number of booths featuring comics, collectibles and a artist’s area which included my friend Austin “Redbeard” Rogers of redbeardcomics.com

Austin told me that in order to get a table, an artist had to submit examples of his or her work and if they were “good enough” then they were granted a table.  I don’t know if other cons do this, but it is an interesting idea and it seems like a good way for  con organizers to maintain a level of quality.  The dealers were the usual assortment of comic book stores, collector stores and the occasional person trying to make a few dollars by selling their personal collection.

Of particular note was Antarctic Press, a San Antonio-based comic company.  They had many books for sale and some of their artists were present.  I purchased some books and spent a few minutes chatting with Fred Perry and David Hutchinson about geeky things.  I must admit though, I felt a little bad telling Mr. Perry that while I had frequently seen his popular “Gold Digger” comic in stores, I had never purchased it.  What can I say?  I’m just not a very good liar, so I don’t even bother trying.

One of the books I purchased was “Oz: The Manga” by David Hutchinson.  I finished reading it last night, enjoyed it immensely and look forward to purchasing the additional books in the series.  It follows L. Frank Baum’s story more closely than the movie “The Wizard of Oz” and was a great read as well as an interesting visual take on the classic tale.  Next, I will take my first step into the world of Fred Perry’s “Gold Digger” as I start reading “Gold Digger MAX Vol 1.”

The con also held a Street Fighter contest on Sunday which I did not see, but they did have a few videogame consoles set up where folks could take a seat and play a round or two of Street Fighter or even some of the old classics like Mrs. PacMan.

Just like the anime conventions I have been to, there were plenty of folks dressed up in costumes, however, these were more recognizable, there were quite a few Green Lanterns, Imperial Stormtroopers, Jedi, and even GI Joe’s Baroness and Street Fighter’s Cammy.

Aside from the dealers and the artists were what I could call the “enthusiast” tables, these represented a variety of fandoms including a Stormtrooper platoon, a Halo costuming group, two Ghostbusters fan groups, the Texas Lego User’s Group and even a group of Sith that I apparently overlooked.  Everyone seemed to be glad to be there and enthusiastically posed for pictures.

Some panels were held, but the lack of a room to host them in made it difficult to hear and see what was going on, especially when the more popular guests were presenting.  There was also no seating set up, hopefully this is something that will be addressed for next time.

I think that the Texas ComicCon got off to a good start.  There was a wide variety of things to see and buy, lots of great artists and fun guests.  With some minor tweaks and adjustments (*cough* BADGES *cough*), I think this could be the start of something big, and look forward to attending next year.

NOTE: The author received no compensation for this review.

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CONS, E3, TECH, Videogames

PRE-3

I’m at the airport with just an hour until my flight leaves and I am starting to get really excited.  I understand some of the boys had a few hiccups getting to LA but its all good now.  I look at the “golden ticket” inside my laptop bag and smile.  As I go to a news website to see what’s happening in the world, an eyebrow raises as I read about a 5.7 quake near the California-Mexico border.

“This ain’t gonna be Texas.” I think to myself.  This is only the second time I will be in California, the first being a forgettable trip back in college to a conference I really could have gone the rest of my life without attending.  I think the amount of suck involved makes it more of a “symposium.”  Any way you slice it, it was a waste of a weekend and I also didn’t get to see much outside of the hotel.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, I remember the Saturday night when we all hopped into a cab to go somewhere.  Upon asking the driver what was in the area, he told us that The House of Blues was nearby. I was excited, I have never been to The House of Blues and it sounded new and exciting.  If nothing else, live music is always a treat.  Sadly, it was not to be, the jackasses I was with wanted to go to a crappy club that was just like every other crappy club I’ve ever been to in my life.  I don’t know, maybe I was supposed to be excited and be all “Oh my gosh, we went to a crappy club but its a crappy club IN LOS ANGELES!”

Whoop-dee-freaking-doo…okay, maybe I’m just a little bitter.

Luckily, I have more in common with the crowd I will be hanging around with this time.  That is to say, we’re all a bunch of socially awkward weirdos.  Actually that probably isn’t completely true, I think we have one or two “cool kids” in the group, you know, balance of the universe and all that.

The thought of occupying the same place with over forty-thousand other socially awkward weirdos is a pleasant one, though, and I can’t wait to get there.

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CONS, E3, RANDOMIZER9.COM, TECH, Videogames

WHEEE-3!

A few months ago when I got the e-mail from Oscar of original-gamer.com saying that I was part of the crew going to E3, I got excited.  Soon, the feeling had died down.  The constant stream of emails from various and sundry game and peripheral companies served as constant reminders that I was going to E3, but they failed to get me excited again.  As I opened my credentials in the mail, I got hyped up again, but once again, the excitement slowly ebbed away.

The stream of “Please come to our booth!” emails continued, and before I knew it, this past Sunday was the planning get-together and pre-E3 podcast.  I was happy, but not quite “OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD I’M GOING TO E3!” excited.

Yesterday, I received an email asking me to go to a booth to check out a certain music game.  I’m not sure if I can say the name or not, so I will say that it does involve rock but won’t make me a hero.

“OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD I’M GOING TO GET TO PLAY THIS GAME AT E3!”

I drove home yesterday with a big-ass smile on my face as I banged the drum beat to “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves on the Reliant’s steering wheel.  I was excited again, and I still am.  By this time next week, I will be in the midst of forty-thousand plus fellow members of the industry checking out all the Cool New Stuff and helping to report on it to all the happy-shiny people out in Internetland.

It feels a little odd to think of myself as “part of the industry” though.  In my mind, I am just the “voice guy” for original-gamer.com, and a writer and editor for them as well.

Then again, maybe it isn’t that big of a stretch.

Despite the fact that I will admittedly be (big finger quotes here) “working,” next week’s trip to E3 is my summer vacation.  I had recently been grousing about how I haven’t taken a ‘real vacation’ to somewhere far and/or different in a few years.  Well, if going to California to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of developers, peripheral makers, Really Important People and fellow website multi-hat wearers doesn’t fit that bill, I don’t know what does!

Ready or not, here I come!!

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TECH, Videogames

Why We Love Pac-Man

Pac-Man turns 30 today, and while his glory days are far behind him, he still keeps busy by appearing in mobile games and serving as NAMCO BANDAI GAMES’ official mascot.  To this day, it would be hard to find an arcade without the presence of at least one member of the Pac-family.

What is it about the game of Pac-Man that has kept him around for so long?  While it is simple (and true) to say that it is because Pac-Man is fun to play, I believe that is just the start of why he and his game are so fondly remembered by many:

To begin with, Pac-Man is a very simple game to play and understand.  The only button to push is the one to start the game.  You move Pac-Man with a joystick, and he only goes up, down, left, and right within a maze that never changes.  Indeed, the only ‘advanced’ concepts to learn are the power pills and the tunnel that transports Pac-Man from one side of the maze to the other.  The ghosts (or at least their eyes) always return to their box in the middle of the screen after they’ve been eaten.  You only get one extra Pac-Man at 10,000 points.  The characters are also simple; the titular Pac-Man is a circle with a mouth that constantly opens and closes, and ghosts are eyeballs covered with, well…something.

As a game, Pac-Man is fun, but it is also challenging in a way that is a little bit different from other games.  Oftentimes in classic games, players are swarmed with enemies and bullets until they are destroyed, so defeat is usually accepted by the player as having been inevitable.  In Pac-Man, there are always just the four ghosts to contend with.  Thus, upon being eaten, a player is more likely to blame themselves instead of the game, thinking: “if I had only gone this way instead of that way, I wouldn’t have died!”  This helps give Pac-Man that “just one more game” quality that keeps players coming back for more.  Also, unlike many other arcade games, there is only one high score!

Next, Pac-Man is undeniably cute, especially when compared to the hordes of menacing aliens usually found in other classic games.  It is hard not to smile as the ghosts’ eyes dart back and forth in search of their prey, or feel sad for Pac-Man when he gets eaten, as he shrivels away and disappears with a blink.  The sound effects and music are unbearably cute and unique: the cheery opening theme, the wakka-wakka sound Pac-Man makes as he chomps, the constant little police siren (that speeds up as you clear the maze) and even the sad little “boink-boink” which means its Game Over.  The odd montage of electric noises that come after eating a power pill are easily some of the strangest sounds in all of videogaming.  Finally, the little “breaktime” scenes provide an early example of in-game comedy.

Unlike most games, Pac-Man has personality.  While Pac-Man himself is a yellow Everyman with no redeeming quality besides his insatiable appetite, his adversaries have names and distinct behaviors.  Easily the most hated of the quartet; Blinky, the red ghost, relentlessly pursues Pac-Man with dogged determination.  Pinky, the pink ghost, causes no end of aggravation as he cuts off Pac-Man’s escape.  Clyde, the orange one, is a fraidy cat that will dash away if Pac-Man gets too close to a power pill.  Finally, there is Inky, the blue ghost, who wanders the maze seemingly with no rhyme or reason.

There is also something primal about Pac-Man.  In its most basic terms, Pac-Man as a concept can be described in one sentence: “Eat or be eaten.”  Indeed, the entire game revolves around eating: you eat dots to get points and advance, you eat fruit to get more points, you eat power pills which allow you eat your enemies, and you lose the game by being eaten.

Pac-Man is also about exacting revenge.  Eating a power pill briefly turns Pac-Man into the hunter instead of the hunted, and in addtion to the points, the smug satisfaction of watching the ghosts scatter back to their ‘base’ in the center of the screen after being chomped is a reward in its own right.  Sadly, victory is only temporary: literally within seconds, Pac-Man resumes his initial role as the prey.

Like nearly all arcade games, Pac-Man is about survival.  For better or for worse, Pac-Man and his adversaries and trapped in a maze with no escape, destined to perform their drama for as long as the player can keep Pac-Man alive.  It could be said that Pac-Man is an exercise in existentialism or consumerism, but that is more analysis than this author wishes to pursue.

In addition to being a fun game, we love Pac-Man because it is simple, challenging, and cute, yet it also appeals to some of our base instincts.  With a personality all its own, Pac-Man will remain a part of our culture for years to come.  Happy 30th, Pac-Man!

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ANIME MATSURI, CONS

Anime Matsuri 2010 Report

As I sit behind my computer typing this, my eyes are barely open, my back and feet hurt a little, and I’m probably going to be a wreck at work tomorrow, but you know what?

IT WAS TOTALLY FARKING WORTH IT!

This was my first con outside of a familiar environment, and I have to say that I loved it, warts and all.

We had something of a ‘false start’ early Friday morning, as the first person that was coming along for the ride showed up a little late, but we weren’t in that big of a hurry, so it wasn’t a big deal.  My fears of not being able to fit everyone’s luggage into the Reliant did not come to pass.  This was partially thanks to my skills at arranging packages that have been honed by hours upon hours of playing Tetris.

The drive was fairly uneventful, save for a near-miss on the Sam Houston Tollway.  I almost hit some of those plastic stick-things that divide the lanes as I swerved to get into the toll lane and not the EZ-Pass one, which elicited a “WHOAAA!” from everyone and then some compliments as everyone realized that we didn’t hit anything.  Yeah, I totally meant to do that!

We eventually arrived (at about 11, I admittedly do drive slow), and met Naki, the head organizer of First Storm Manga, at the hotel.  We got our passes for the event, and set up shop at our table.

Our goals were twofold: to distribute as many copies of our compilation and mini-mangas as possible, and to recruit for our group.  On that level, I think it went very well; attendance was great, and we spoke with quite a few individuals who were interested in joining us in some form or another.  The response to the promotional items we handed out (buttons and stickers) was very enthusiastic; I mean, hey, who doesn’t like free stuff?

I have to say, though, that I feel we got a little TOO carried away at times with the other freebies, and lost sight of the fact that we are supposed to be promoting our manga, art, and writing.  That’s a discussion for another time, though.

In any event, we were succeeding a little too well; keeping up with button demand became something of a chore, and I had to run over to the FedEx Store to get fresh copies of our mini-mangas done on Saturday afternoon.

At this point I have to give a big THANK YOU to one of our Houston members:  Shauna was very enthusiastic (if not just a bit too perky for the morning, but that’s just me being a cranky old poop) and helped out a bunch.  I honestly don’t think it would have been as successful without her there.  In addition, we got to meet some of the other great Houston folks as well: Akiru, Johnny, Charlie, and Angela.  They were selling art at the table next to ours, and while the initial response was quite lackluster, things eventually picked up for them.

While things were going great con-wise, the hotel was a different story.  Anime Matsuri was held at The Marriott Woodlands Waterway Hotel and Convention Center (what a mouthful) and there’s really no better way to say it, but we got shafted.  We had reserved a double room with two queen beds and we got a single king, then had the nerve to try to make up for it by asking if we wanted  a rollaway bed for an extra charge.  Jerks.  The TV had plugs for hooking things up (like game consoles or laptops) that didn’t work.  There was no complimentary Wi-Fi, either.  Luckily I recently purchased a Sprint portable hotspot, which worked very well.  If its up to me, I will NOT be staying there next year, though.

Speaking of the neighborhood, The Woodlands is NICE. Heck, even the nearby Wal-Mart was nice.  The trees had the unfortunate effect of obscuring pretty much everything else, but it was all still very wow, especially when I missed a turn and passed by a lake surrounded with million-dollar homes.

I can’t say much about the rest of the convention, because except for the couple of times when I snuck away, I spent most of it at our table.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, though.  I heard from other First Storm Manga members that it great, too.  I know of one person that was irked because a guest cancelled at the last minute, but I think for the most part we all had a great time, met some nice people, and had lots of fun.

I almost ran out of gas on the way back, though…the Reliant was fine, but I had to let someone take the wheel on the drive back because I was just so darned tired.  I got back at Sunday at 10, but it was a great time, and I can’t wait to hit the road again.  E3, here I come!!

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CONS, FIRST STORM MANGA

Anime Matsuri – Pre-Game

I’ve been going to anime cons for just over a year now, and despite that, I have yet to get what one might consider “the full experience” because they have all been near home.  I have yet to go somewhere completely different, stay in a hotel, and fumble around town searching for places to eat and/or a store to buy things that were forgotten.

Thus, my first “real con” will be Anime Matsuri this weekend.  I’ll be getting up at the crack of dawn tomorow, picking up some friends, and hitting the road as we head to The Woodlands, north of Houston.  I’ve never been to that area before, but that doesn’t really mean what it used to.  After all, how scary is going to a new place when you’re carrying a GPS-enabled cell phone with Google Maps installed?

It will be nice to not have to drive home every day at 2 AM in a haze, though.  Staying at my parents’ house during RealmsCon seemed like a good idea until I found myself needing a little help from Diet Mountain Dew to make the 30-mile trip from downtown Corpus Christi to my parent’s house.  Stumbling back to the hotel room Friday and Saturday night shouldn’t be nearly as bothersome.  Driving over there in a haze early Friday should be fun though…

I see this as a warm-up, because I will be going to this year’s E3, and THAT will definitely be an experience!

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COOKING, FOOD, Odem, RANDOMIZER9.COM

Cheesy New Year Fun!

I’m not a fan of big gatherings (anime cons nonwithstanding) and thus, I usually spend New Year’s Eve at my parents’ or at my apartment if I’m not up for making the drive to visit them.

A few years ago, I was living with my parents during some rough times, and it was New Year’s Eve.  Thanks in part to the crappy job I had at the time, I had decided to just stay in and really not do much of anything.  It was a pretty lackadaisical evening, and I soon had a craving…for CHEESE!

Not just any cheese, mind you, but melted cheese with Ro-Tel diced tomatoes made in a Crock-Pot with tortilla chips dipping into the melty cheesy goodness…mmmmm.  I told my folks I was going to the store to get the ingredients, and suddenly inspired by the power of the cheese (or perhaps the power of the suggestion of cheese, but that’s being anal) they went to the store as well to get shrimp, cocktail sauce, vegetables, ranch dip, and drinks.

Soon, I’m cubing cheese, Mom is cutting vegetables, and Dad is going next door to invite family over.  What began as a humdrum evening soon became a fun time with family and friends, and all because of THE POWER OF CHEESE!

Fast forward to December 31, 2009…I decided to stay at home for New Year’s Eve because there was an anime convention I wanted to go to that weekend.  As I’m at my desk working (and seething over having to work on New Year’s Eve), I soon had a craving…for CHEESE!  I was practically drooling as I punched in the ingredients list into my phone, intending to stop at the store on the way home.

I arrived home at my apartment, and went to rinse out the Crock-Pot before getting started.  I figured it would just be me and the cheese hanging out at home for New Year’s, oh well.  I then got a phone call from a friend, it seemed he and his wife had just gotten home from their holiday trip and were wondering what I was going to do for New Year’s.

I replied that I was going to make some cheese and probably play some Rock Band, so I figured what the hey and invited them over.  They said yes, and a few invites sent via text message later, I had a group of friends over hanging out, playing games, and just having a good time…all because of THE POWER OF CHEESE!

Some folks have black-eyed peas for New Year’s, my mom makes menudo (which I sadly often miss *sniff*) but I’ll be whipping out the old Crock-Pot next New Year’s Eve in order to UNLEASH THE CHEESE!

Side note:  I never use Velveeta, I have found that the generic/store brands (HEB in particular) have less sodium and more cheesy goodness!

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