Posts Tagged ‘photo’

Photo Gallery: Gaming and Geekdom in Japan

17 January 2011 | 2 Comments » | pixiestixy

I was fortunate over the holidays to have the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime to a country that’s very dear to my heart: Japan. While I lived in Osaka for about a year in college, at the time I was a lowly, poor student and could not afford to travel much within the country. This time around, my husband and I spent a little more than two weeks over Christmas and New Years parading around the country and seeking out some of the geekiest spots we could find.

So, while it’s not the usual kind of post that I would share here on Lore Hound, now that I’ve had some time to sort through the photos we took, it seemed like the right time for a photo post. Whether you would classify yourself as otaku or not, I hope you enjoy looking through my chronicles of retro-gaming stores, figurines and cell phone straps galore, a Shonen Jump store, arcades and crane-games, Gatcha-pon toy dispensers, Akihabara (that’s Tokyo’s geek-central electronic district), fun toys, hello kitty insanity and a Gundam-themed exposition in Osaka + 1:1 scale Gundam model in Shizuoka. Oh, and boob pudding.

Pretty much the only thing I didn’t see much of was WoW-related stuff. Come on in for a selection of everything else, and a koopa on top. Continue Reading

Of MMOs and Girlfriends

10 April 2008 | No Comments » | LHStaff

There are two major pulling factors in my life right now (outside of work): my girlfriend and videogames. I may just be a sucker for pretty eyes, but when it comes down to it my girlfriend always comes first. If she wants to watch a movie and I want to play a game we will watch a movie. Call me a romantic if you must, but I would rather spend more time with her than a videogame. Come to think of it that is probably why she puts up with my gaming so much. She knows that she comes first and that it works out.

Unfortunately, not all couples are like my girlfriend and I. Many relationships have broken apart because of videogames, namely MMORPGs. Of course, it’s not always as simple as “put your girlfriend first.” Some people just don’t like videogames and if you are in a relationship with that type of person then you are definitely going to have an uphill battle in managing the two of them. It just so happens that my girlfriend is also a gamer, she just didn’t realize it until we met.

Believe it or not, a lot of girls do enjoy gaming. Some more than others, obviously (not everybody is going to take to videogames, guys included), but, in general, most people can find some sort of enjoyment out of them. When my girlfriend and I first started dating she only liked playing word games and Tetris. Now, however, we play all sorts of games together, including Pirates of the Burning Sea. Hell, she is even a higher rank than me! The trick was playing the games with her and making it a cooperative effort. Games are typically more fun with your friends and the same holds true with your girlfriend.

Bottomline, if you really like your MMOs then your chances of having a stable relationship are probably going to depend on your girlfriend’s willingness to accept, and maybe even participate in them. I’m not advocating putting your games before your girlfriend, but I also won’t advocate you giving up your favorite hobby for a girl either. Like most things in a relationship, compromise is the key to success. Even in videogames…

Oh and wear deodorant.

P.S. The girl photo’d is not my girlfriend.

The Do's and Do Not's of Guild Drama

19 March 2008 | No Comments » | LHStaff

There are people in this world who absolutely love drama. I don’t know why but they are out there and they are evil. No, I’m not talking about your schools theatre department, or any of the local playwrights out and about in your town. Those people are cool… probably, whatever. No, the people I am talking about are the ones who absolutely love to stir the pot and make sure that whatever good mojo you had going gets completely clusterfucked. You know the kind of people I am talking about; they make a big deal out of nothing, demand something from somebody else, talk shit behind somebody’s back, etc. They are out there and chances are they hate you. So it comes as little surprise that our MMOs are no escape from these same people.

Guild drama is nothing new to MMORPGs. Hell, I remember playing a MUD back in 1997 on AOL and there being some sort of guild drama. I don’t remember the specifics, but it was annoying back then just as much as it is today.  Because of this, I have decided to offer my advice on this sensitive subject in the form of Do’s and Do Not’s. Following these helpful hints you can rest assured that your game will be all the more enjoyable:

Do Not attempt to reason with any of the involved parties who started the guild drama. Chances are there were at least two of them and if they get a chance they’ll try to drag you into it as well. They are guild destroyers, and they’ll have no remorse in taking you down with them.

Do try to diffuse the situation through other means. Often times if you do something so completely bizarre, or weird it will keep attention away from the drama. Drama thrives off of attention and if nobody cares then nothing will come of it.

Do Not take a side in the drama. This should really be a no-brainer but I still see it all the time. What good is going to come of taking a side in drama? It’s like throwing shit at a shit-monster. He likes it and your stuck with more shit. Having more people involved in guild drama only creates more tension and more conflict.

Do talk to the guild leadership. If you aren’t the guild leader, and you know that the guild leader isn’t actually involved in the drama make sure it comes to his/her attention. A quick boot to the drama starters is always the best remedy.

Do Not whine about the drama. First off, whining doesn’t solve anything. Second, nobody likes whiners. Take control of the situation if you have to, but do so with enough force and gusto that people believe you are in charge and in control. Anything less than that and your guildmates won’t take you serious.

Do leave the guild. If all of the above has failed then that means there is not much else for you to do. I suggest you pack up and take off from the guild before you get caught in the implosion that was once your friends.

These methods aren’t scientifically proven but they can help the situation. There is nothing worse than having to see your guild fall apart due to these people. On my WoW server, alone, I saw this happen about 6 times and each time I heard the stories of how it went down. So, not to sound all hokey or anything, but only YOU can prevent guild drama.

Thanks for reading.

Kudos to WoWDrama for the photo.

We Don't Want a BioWare Star Wars MMO. . .

7 March 2008 | No Comments » | LHStaff

And by we I really mean me. I really don’t speak for Mike or the others that write here at MMOCrunch.com. Each writer here has their own opinion and mine is my own. Anyways onto the article!

I don’t want BioWare to make an MMORPG based off of the Star Wars franchise. Wait! Don’t crucify me yet. I have some explaining to do. Naturally, I would definitely not spit on a Star Wars MMO, let alone one developed and designed by BioWare. Those are some talented guys and I can only dream of what they are creating. And that is the exact same reason why I don’t want what they are creating for their first MMO to be a Star Wars game.

Now I began writing this article mainly because of the recent rumour that is being spread around. Apparently some guy got a sneak peek at some documented script from the game. I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t really care. Should you want to read about it head on over here.

Now, back on topic, let’s think about what other franchises BioWare has created. Have they ever created something that wasn’t awesome? Let’s take a look:

  1. Mass Effect, absolutely fantastic.
  2. Jade Empire, loved every minute of it.
  3. KoTOR, superb.
  4. Neverwinter Nights, classic.
  5. Baldur’s Gate, brought me into the PC RPG world.

So there you have it: four out of their five biggest games have not been associated with Star Wars. This leads me to my point, do we really want a developer such as this to spoil their creative interests on a world that is already so well developed that there can’t possibly be any real customization and expansion? Star Wars is great, but I’d rather these guys come up with their own kick ass world. Mass Effect was a brilliant universe, and I have no doubt that they could make a world for an MMORPG be equally as awesome.

Anyways, thats just my opinion. Take it for what you will, but there are plenty of MMO developers that can do the Star Wars MMO justice, let’s allow the poster child of the RPG industry the luxery of giving us something truly out of their own imagination, ok?

Thoughts? Comments? Flames? You know where to leave em!

Happy Holidays!

25 December 2007 | No Comments » | LHStaff

Just a quick stop by to wish everybody a Happy Holiday! Enjoy the photo, courtesy of www.freakygaming.com. Remember to spend somtime away from your MMOs today. I am sure your family will appreciate it. For those who can’t reach their families today then you can rest assured you are in MMOCrunch’s thoughts. :) So without further ado:

Merry Christmas

Happy Chanukah (Yes I know it’s a bit late)

Happy Kwanzaa

Happy New Year

And have a great day!

See you guys tomorrow!