Well, E3 is beginning and I am bored out here in the Midwest waiting for today's action, so I'm going to write a quick little blog post about how I think E3 is great on the 360 and how I think it could be better.

Most of my E3 coverage will be through Gamespot, on my PC, naturally. I am excited, though, to be getting updates through the 360 as well.

It is most gratifying to be able to download high definition clips of games and watch them on my television. I mean, Gamespot obviously has the clips first, but it is so different to sit back and look at something like Mass Effect in my living room, where I will actually be playing it.

The demos have been great so far, too. NCAA and Ace Combat are pretty interesting, and a demo for Blue Dragon just appeared. I am hoping this isn't all of the demos we'll get... A Bioshock demo would be pretty awesome. I also like the free themes and picture packs, even though they aren't much to look at, they are free. Give us some worthshile picture packs and themes for free (it is a kind of advertising, after all) and that would be all right by me.

As for how it could be better. It would be wonderful if I could have watched the press conference live on my television while chatting with friends on Xbox Live. It would also be amazing if I could have a web browser for my 360 so I could just go to whatever website I want to visit and get all the e3 covereage for every platform and all that. Maybe by next year, or even by X07 we'll have these features. Here's hoping.

Anyway, so far, so good. I can't wait for more.

Many times last year before any consoles launched there were discussions about backwards compatability and whether it sold systems or not.

Well, I'm not sure if it sold a system, but it has sold a few great games.

Tonight I played Psychonauts the way it was meant to be played.

I had previously rented Psychonauts for my PS2 and really enjoyed it, but didn't have the time to play through it all the way.  The EXTRA LOOOOOONG load times didn't help matters.  I didn't buy the PC version because my PC can't handle that and who plays platformers on their PC?  I didn't have an XBOX and didn't plan on getting one.

Well, I bought my 360 over the summer and was looking forward to playing Psychonauts on that when I found out it was not going to be compatable at launch, but some day it might be.

When I found out it was going to be playable yesterday, I walked the mile out to the local Best Buy to buy a NEW copy of the game because I wanted to support Double Fine's effort and send Microsoft a message that BC is important.

this is not the only XBOX game I am now able to play thanks to BC.  I have thoroughly enjoyed Jade Empire, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Crimson Skies.

So, I really think that backwards compatability isn't something that only moms and dads are concerned with anymore.

I have been thinking about this for awhile now, but I need to put some of it down on paper so that I will have a more firm place to start.

I want to hand out a letter the first day of school when I am a teacher to introduce myself to the students and to their parents.  Somewhere in that letter, or maybe in a second one later on, I want to include my list of games I reccomend to parents.  One important part of this letter will be to encourage parents to actually sit with their kids while they play, or even give the games a try themselves, so that they can discuss the games.

Games I would include as reccomended:  Katamari Damacy (it can teach the metric system, observation, and estimation),  SimCity  (Can teach about finances, planning, and social services.),  RollerCoaster Tycoon (Can teach about physics of motion, planning, and finances.)  Civilization IV (Can teach about world cultures, religions, political systems, and more in the civilopedia.)

This is a short list, there would be more.  I'll keep working on it.

I highly doubt anyone will read this, but I think I might just start journaling here.

Video games are what I think about most of the time.  It can be a real problem when I should be thinking about other things, but mostly it is very enjoyable and interesting to think about how games have been, how they are, how they should be, and how they will be.

I would like to see the technology of games, and their unique ability to tell stories used in schools.  My "real" job is as a teacher.  At this point, I am only a substitute teacher, but that will change some day and I will run my own classroom.  I have thought many times about ways I could use games in the classroom.  We will see if any of it pans out.

That is enough for my first post.  Who knows how long it will be before I drop another one.