Seven is a great number. It is the number of my favourite final fantasy game.

I have made really good progress on my thesis work this week. It has cost me somewhat on the homefront. The significant other is getting kind of sick of only seeing the back of my head coz I am spending so much time on the computer. I dont know why the complaints - at least I'm not wasting my time looking at internet porn! And I look at it this way, if I do well on the MA, I will get a better job, we will have a higher standard of living, yadda, yadda, yadda.

AND I AM ALMOST DONE!!!!!!! 36 interviews to go, then synthesis and I am outta school!!! I should be done by august at the latest. I am shooting for the end of june tho, if I can.

The one issue I am running into is that I need to set up a database to manage the responses to my questionnaire. I hate doing that. I went into social sciences because I suck at math. Now I have to be able to statistical analysis in order to demonstrate that I understand the implications of my research. Man, I should have married a statistician instead of a public relations person.

I am now having to hit up friends who understand math to help me structure my analytical tools for my data set. I feel like that barbie from the late eighties that used to complain about math being hard when you pulled her string.

Its funny, but the one thing I am looking forward to more than any other - being able to play games again without feeling guilty. How is that for low expectations?

It has been a bad day. I hate it when it seems like all control has just gone out the window. I have the sort of job that requires that I pretty much know where everything is all the time. Today, I lost it. That is why, I think, that the video game is such a welcome release at the end of the day. Although there is certainly lots of room for unexpected things to happen, the only witness to your failure (unless you are playing online) is yourself. And even if you are playing online, you will likely never meet these people... unless you play with friends - which is frankly just silly. I take enough crap from my friends without having to listen to them telling me how I should have played a particular battle in Champions, FFXI, or Resident Evil Outbreak. I far prefer having strangers question my judgement.

I am playing Kingdom Hearts these days (thanks Isis - you were right I do love it). It is a really good diversion. The plot is simple, the characters fun and recognizable, the bosses challenging but beatable, all you could ask for in terms of a game to help with stress-relief. I have often wondered if they have looked at the potential therapeutic benefit of video games for stress relief. It is a fact that having a pet can really lower blood pressure and aid with relaxation. I believe that it has something to do with stroking the fur and unconditional love. What about the benefit of running around a virtual maze blowing up monsters... Why can't my doctor write me a prescription for Final Fantasy XII?

Just a thought...

I have been wasting my time again with video games when I should be doing thesis research. The weather here in Ottawa this past weekend was vile. I saw that as a good reason to spend some quality time indoors. With God of War now in my mother-in-law's hands, I was left with no choice but to start X-men Legends. And then I got to the Sentinel flashback. After a few hours of frustration, I packed it in. There seems to be no way that you can beat that level.

Now I am sure that there is, but it isnt obvious to me, and the guides provide damn little insight. So saturday morning I pulled the disc from the PS2 in disgust and frustration and switched back to an old standby - Champions of Norrath. Although I have played it alot in the past, I really like the game and the variation that you get with the dungeons. The different playable characters also keep it interesting. It may not be the best RPG ever, but its not bad. I actually made it through 4 of the game's five acts in one day (keeping in mind that I now know where most of the traps and hangups are). I still really like the battle in Act 4 with the arena beast. It took me awhile to figure out a strategy to beat the damn thing, but I eventually got it. That little skeleton that the dark elf can summon is a huge advantage.

When I consider the two games, Champions and X-men Legends, I dont have to think very hard about which one I feel is better value. When a game crosses the line for me from entertaining fun to frustration, its hard for me to cross back over that line. What is really sad for me is that I have been an X-men fan since the seventies (the age thing jumps up and bites me on the ass again). And I payed 50 bucks for the damn game!!!

Oh well, I have a home, a good job, a good relationship, and a PS2 - Do I have any right to complain?

Back to my half-a**ed blog. I took a break because I had to work on thesis stuff and was spending all my spare moments playing God of War. In the grand scheme of things I suppose the degree is important, but I would rather be smacking minotaurs using some of Kratos' sweet aerial combos.

Man, talk about a guy with issues! Smacks his own wife and kid while defiling a temple. You gotta think that's gonna result in some bad Karma. Although speaking of hell, I have to say that the last level, the Hades one, left some stuff to be desired. Jumping around on those spinning blade thingies and then climbing the spinning blade thingies was kind of annoying. It's a good thing Kratos didnt actually have to worry about all those razor cuts he got - it would have taken rolls of toilet paper to stop that bleeding, not just the little pieces that I use when the razor slips.

I was reflecting the other night on what makes a particular game a winner... There are so many out there now that you would think that software developers would have been able to identify those elements that are likely to click within the various subsets of the gaming community. For example, those who like driving games cotton on to Gran Turismo's customization options and the need to compete in order to earn money to pay for those customizations - which adds an element to a driving game that really appeals to our need to shop. RPGs do much the same thing - making it a necessity to purchase new weapons and gear as you advance through the various levels. Action adventure games, on the other hand, require a compelling story and an engaging battle system. In general, regardless of the game, all must be held together with good atmosphere, backgrounds, graphics, cutscenes and compelling music.

I know that these are many of the basic elements that professional reviewers focus on when they are looking to rate a game - I rely on those reviews to ensure that my money is invested in products that represent good value. My question is, why do bad games still exist? What goes through a developers head when they put a crappy product on the market? A case in point - I rented a game on the weekend called ghost hunter. Now, its not a bad premise, but the damn thing is full of bugs - characters actually can walk through walls and completely out of the game's scenario. I know that if I found this, beta testers must have. The other issue is that elements of the game make no sense - switching from one character to another to accomplish specific tasks is not obvious and can be downright frustrating.

So where do bad games come from? A game is costly to design, complicated to market, and likely yields little in terms of profit if it stinks... so how does it happen? does anybody know? And can I have my 5.99 rental fee back?

So here we are on April 12, 2005. It is the end of the day and I am considering what to do this evening. Given that I got almost an entire chapter of my thesis written this weekend, I am thinking that I can probably justify some time with my playstation 2. Although God of War has been my major obsession lately, I have been neglecting my linkshell buddies in Final Fantasy XI and should probably jump in and find out how all of them are. I'm just worried that when I do I'll wind up getting yelled at for having disappeared for almost three months. Couldn't help it though, was in China for one month and then at school for a second.

And lets be honest, it is far easier to jump out of God of War than it is to jump out of Final Fantasy XI. Once I find a decent party to play with I am always reluctant to leave - particularly since having reached level 42 with my red mage character. The higher you level, the harder it is to level... but then that is the attraction. "I only need one more level to get the spell/weapon that will make me invincible!", and then they throw things at you that are even nastier than the ones you just smacked in order to level up in the first place. God of War, on the other hand, like most adventure games, allows you to bow out at save points and when you come back the same challenges, the same monsters, are waiting for you.

I guess my point is that I love MMORPGs but they eat time and can easily wind up being in direct conflict with other things in your life, like school, relationships, work, regular meals...

So here I am. A 38-year-old manager in the Canadian public service starting my first blog on a gaming site, of all places. To be honest, this is probably going to wind up being a convenient excuse to avoid school work - since I am now in the last stages of finishing a graduate degree.

So what brings me to this point in my life? To put it simply, a longstanding love of electronic gaming. About thirty years ago, Atari came out with a video gaming system that my parents were too cheap to buy for me. I was forced to throw hundreds of dollars worth of quarters into the machines at video arcades. Tempest, Time Pilot, Star Wars, Gauntlet, and Joust were my most frequent diversions. As the technology progressed (to home pcs and better systems - who remembers colecovision?), I swore that when I was all grown up I wouldn't deprive my kids of the thrill and wonder of video gaming.

Now I am all grown up, have no kids, but a wonderful and understanding partner, and a lingering interest in electronic games. It blows me away how far we have come in terms of the technology. I remember the old text-based adventures and how much pleasure I got from them. But to be honest, there is no comparison between those and the recent adventure games, Devil May Cry and God of War for example. The graphics are incredible, the music beautiful, and the story lines are now incredibly complex. The creators of these worlds are absolute geniuses. I can't talk to all of them and thank them for the hours of enjoyment they have given me, but I can post this little tribute to them in my spare time and let them know how grateful I am for their commitment to producing excellent entertainment.

My latest addiction is God of War. Right now I am wrestling with Poseidon's challenge - an unholy challenge for the most accomplished gamer. While the story takes considerable liberties with Greek mythology, I have to say that it is one of the most compelling games I have played in a long time. From the nasty cyclopses to the evil puppies, each minute of game play has been a blast. SCEA hit a homerun early on with ICO and have managed another with GoW. Keep it up guys!