Have you ever played a game so much you've dreamt it? A few times, that has happened to me. My first experience of this was playing Doom 2 with a friend online.

We would connect to each other's computers over the modem (yeah, my blazin' 19 200 kbps!) and play all hours of the night and drag our sorry butts to school the next day. i remember this was the first FPS I really got into.

Playing the old Wolfenstien and such wasn't too bad, but the added element of playing online with a friend, and we could 'chat' was overwhelming.

i was dreaming of going through the levels for a few nights. Man, that was intense.

Now, i get glimpses of Star Wars TFU every so often. Again, to me, that's so cool! Wielding a light sabre, using the force, throwing people through air locks!

My latest dream was going through Killzone 2, which I'm sadly not as far as I would like. But i get so into the game, it imprints on my psyche.

Again, I'm no psycologist or whatever, but I hope it's not bad. it can't be. It's a game!

This is why I hate time away from Gaming. I got Killzone 2 about a week or so ago. I've played a few times, but then life got in the way and I was unable to play.

Every game has it's own controls, nuances and sublties that I need to master.

Since not playing for a while, I got slaughtered. My hand/eye coordination is used to the Assassin's Creed controls, which took some time from getting over the MGS4 controls.

Not that I'm complaining that I can't adapt, it's just frustrating. I know that the learning curve is quite sharp, but it takes me some acclimation time for me to get back into it.

What would be the next level of gaming? I know that the FPS and the TPS's are quite popular. Even driving games and MMORPG's are quite the thing.

But what would be the next step in gaming? I hope that VR will come along. Sure, they had some cheezy VR games way back when, but the technology wasn't quite up to par. Even 3d games. would that be the next step?

I'm a PS3 groupie, but maybe the interactive capacity of the Wii is really where gaming will go?

Ever wonder who's responsible for you getting a game? I got Killzone 2 for a few reasons. The main reason is that a few friends have it and I can play on-line with them.

That's the reason I got Resistance 2. My friends were completly into it, and hooked me.

Think about the reasons you got your last few games. Was it because of a review you read? A demo you played? you played it at a friend's house?

I know that the last 2 games I got were from Craig's list for a good price. But Killzone 2 was because of friends. Even my favourite MGS4 was because of reviews and a good price.

It's interesting why we buy games, or chose certain topics.

That's all. it's late, and I'm a bit 'drunk'...

PS. This is under Fashion. Why? Why not...

Ugh.

and double Ugh..

I just finished a nice long Weekend, celebrating Queen Victoria. Did I get a chance to play Killzone? Nope.

I had things with family, with friends, with neighbours, etc. I did housework, I did laundry, I made breakfast/lunch/dinner for people.

And did anyone have the decency to let me go and play? No.

All of you who say that you want to just crawl into a hole with a nice HDTV, digital Surround sound and your PS3, I'm there with you. i'll even bring my own controller!

Triple Ugh!

I miss being sick (or playing sick to get some good game time in)

PS: Why is there a fashion catagory on a video game site? Am I missing something? Don't get me wrong, I'm quite ok with that.....

I just gave myself a present and got Killzone 2. I haven't started it yet, but my friends keep trying to get me online to play.

I'll hopefully get a chance tonight.

And, I'll take some of your advice....if I'm not digging the game, leave it. it's not worth it.

I guess I'm a sucker that wants to believe that there is good in every game.

Again, if you've read my rant about Star Trek Encounters, I should know better.

PS: I saw the new Star Trek Movie. Holy Cow. Jaw-Droppingly amazing. To mix my Sci-Fi quotes: It's the Hoopiest.

it's not what you think...kinda.

If you scan my page, you'll see i'm currently playing Assassin's Creed. I'm a bit behind in my current video games. My friends are nagging me to get Killzone 2, which I would like to make my next purchase, but I have Assassin's Creed and Far Cry 2 to finish first.

So, I'm on Memory Block 3, and I'm not really diggin' it. My friends who have played it enjoyed the game, but I'm not feeling the love for this game.

I'm trying, Ringo. i'm trying real hard to be the shepherd...

Just now, if you feel like being a creep and stalking me, you'll notice i made a review on a PS2 Star Trek game I had bought a few years back.

It was Star Trek Encounters. Being a huge Trekker for all my life, I'm quite happy that the new movie seems to be received well by the public. Again, I plan on seeing it this Canadian Long weekend (Happy Birthday Queen Vicky!), so don't go and spoil it for me until then.

But what does this have to do with my title? Once in a while, my PS3 is humming away happily, processing 1's and 0's faster than I could ever blink, chew gum and think about what I would like to have for dessert, I notice my lil' PS2 in the corner of my entertainment unit. I do dust it off once in a while, and even consider firing her up to make sure she's still ok. (wow, was that a bad run-on sentence? Any grammarians, Please forgive me, or help me with grammar...). I haven't quite sold off my old PS2 games nor will I do so. I still like playing them once in a while on the PS3 (yes, mine is one of the 60GB babies that has a good Emotion Engine!!!) for old times sake. And it's nice to have a blast from the past.

As an aside, I loved in Metal Gear Solid 4 how they would sometimes reference the old game, or the old system, or even the old PS1 system.

Anyway, playing these beautifully crafted graphic-intensive games, it's nice to downgrade and play some old things. It's good to think about your past, and where you came from.

Even looking at Lara Croft, her Evolution has been incredible:

But I was thinking about the old Atari I first got when I was little. I remember my brother and I opening that package on Christmas day. We had this amazing game, and I remember my Dad trying to hook up the system to our old TV. This TV actually had a built in 8-track player on it (click the link if you're not sure what I'm talking about). We actually couldn't play it because our TV didn't have the right connection. We had to buy it later.

But when my dad came home with the right Video game adapter, he fired it up. The first game we played was a ****c. This game was Defender. And I'm glad that it's been recognized in a Beastie Boys song. (If you play Defender I could be your hyperspace

But to finally get to my point: I love these new games. I love my PS3. I would do things that in some countries would be considered illegal with my PS3. Even my friends who are huge Xbox 360 fans have traded them in for a PS3. (sure, they also got the RRoD) and have finally heard the message. (I'm sure I'll get flames for this one, but debate is healthy, even amongst us gamers!) But I do miss some of the simplicity of games like Defender. I loved the old Game Sea Quest. Even playing Berserk so long, praying that there was an escape, I finally gave up when my thumb cramped up and I lost my game privileges for a month. (sure, I couldn't for my Piano lessons, but It was worth it!).

I miss those games. I miss the old cartidges. I know my dad still has the Atari in his house, in a box, hidden away. I often contemplate getting that up and running to have fun.

But...

there was one game that really tied my knickers in a knot... even today when I think about it. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. By far, that was the biggest disappointment I had in gaming since....well, it was my first disappointment, which I still remember. I couldn't, for the life of me (or little ET, which I shed many tears) that I couldn't get him home. This disappointment and frustration is what I felt with Star Trek Encounters. I couldn't believe that these feelings, locked so deep down, hidden away like my old 2600 could come rushing back.

So, my digital nostalgia was for crappy awful games that made me love the ****cs: Defender, Donkey Kong (when he was good, and Mario was bad!!), Combat (Tank Pong), Sea Quest, Frogger, Pit Fall...

[sniff, sniff]:cry: I have to go...

Vive le 2600 (less ET!).

Wow, did this entry take a few turns.

Thank you for whoever read my article about the video game as an educational tool. I've got lots of ideas, and I'm working on my next post.

If you have any ideas, let me know...but then again...wait..

you'd be highlighted then.

Ok,, keep 'em to yourselves, and I'll post when I'm ready!

oh, where's my emblem? I'm sorely lacking in them. :o

Reading in the news with the 'new generation of students, (unfortunately i am not one of those, but trying to keep up) I see that computers are the direction they want to go.

Granted, this is quite common that politicians and professors want to get publicity so to say very broad statements like 'we need more technology in education seems common place.

However, maybe they're really on to something? Would it be worth it to have a historically accurate video game? Being a Proud Canadian (Yes, my I have a PS3 cozy to keep it warm in my igloo!), i would love to play a game about a historical figure and his adventure coming to Upper Canada (yeah, ol' Samuel de Champlain). Or even looking at some of the roman wars and what a soldier did during his time. Would it be possible to make this a worthwhile game?

These games would not lend itself well to FPS but for strategy and RPG, knowing the history would be beneficial. What's nice is that the story has been written already and there are lots of references if one needs help. Many of our histories are littered with heros who have overcome huge obstacles to get something worthwhile.

Even looking at the trends, we started off learning from storytelling. That was formalized into writing and then we started to experiment and read. Even using the Internet to get information or do courses on-line is the next step in education. Would it be that much of a leap to have a historic video game? Can you imagine leading the troops into WWII Germany to try to take out Hitler (not quite like Wolfenstein).

I can see some political incorectness issues and people being upset. But history has both good things and bad things? Do we not write about the atrocities of Nazi-Germany? Do we not speak about slavery in the US?

I think that we should be going towards video games with a purpose. There was a great blog about Video games as (or as not as) art. Maybe we should be shifting the focus for a different purpose.