Just came back from the cashpoint to find i have not been paid my ESA allowance for this past two weeks. I have no money. I mean zero pounds.

It could be that I've just not had it come in yet, but i suspect that its more likely that I've got nothing at all. That my payments have been suspended and I've not been informed.

ever get the feeling the worlds hanging you out to dry?

I dont mind not eating for a couple of days, but this has come at the worst possible time and while there was always the possibility of it happening, I've not been informed that it is going to, or has happened. Or even why or how.

It could be a later payment, which is always possible, It could be my payments have been suspended for the moment because I cant obtain a new medical certificate from my doctor (they wont allow me to have a new one so the dwp (department for work and pensions) have to arrange for an assessment themselves, one i cant get to because I've no money to get there. *pulls hair out*

If my money or claim has been stopped totally I'll need to claim for something else. But until i know why or what is going on i cant change my claim. Also I have to have the minimal money i was going to get today (£130.00 for 2 weeks) because I have more or less nothing to eat, nothing to feed my two cats on, no money to give my daughter for maintenance payments, and no way to pay installments on my rent and tax arrears , arrears i have because it took 3 months to get an original claim sorted for benefits of any kind after i was hurt and left work.

Hopefully whats happening is just a simple suspension of payments, which would at least allow me to obtain my medication still and give me council tax benefit and housing benefit until i know whats going on and have things sorted.

At the very least I now have to look at what I still own and bare in mind what I can sell to survive for the next few days.

I want to add I hate this world right now. lol.

update : so an update over all thats gone on.

I went to the job center office in town, was directed to the phones, made to wait twice for forty minuets, found out eventually that my payments from ESA have been suspended. Not too big of a deal on its own, not great, but ok.

But that it was suspended on the 11th and they chose not to inform me. Yes i was told this could potentially happen at some point. But to not inform me is way out of line. Instead of having a couple of days to prepare and sign up for a different benefit or work something out, I'm on the back foot and without cash for two weeks.

Ive got to make a claim for jobseekers (my best option for a resolution really), first thing tomorrow by calling up and hope that its backdated at least a week.
Worse still I cant even claim for a crisis loan. If i do it'll likely be turned down.

What sort of organisation punishes you for getting hurt and being unable to do a wider range of work by giving you less and then takes what little they do give away and also says "sure you have nothing and so dont qualify for something" !!!

If they were still giving me money they would give it to me any time i ask with little worry , but when i need it most they give nothing at all.
It boggles the mind.

How are you supposed to get yourself back on your feet when something goes wrong when the system shafts you so much.

The more crazy thing is I got my free prescriptions still. So I'm still under the ESA I'm just not allowed the money.

On the plus side, got my prescriptions for this month.

Just hope this is all sorted by my birthday on the 7th. or its been one big turn around year on year.

That robin smith games thing episode 4 : emotions

A games ability, if any, to induce an emotional
response from those of us playing and those around us.

featuring interviews with Paul Rooney, Brendan Sinclair, Fran Shergold, Sophia Tong each sharing their thoughts on games and how they can or cannot create emotional reactions in people.

And Dan "mr.pointyhead" Maher Shares his love for Nintendo and most important gaming revelations.

rss: http://tinyurl.com/c4dztun

direct file: http://tinyurl.com/bp5ytfb

itunes: http://tinyurl.com/cm4q6ut

and dont forget to take a trip to the that robin smith games thing discussion group to talk about the episode , specials and any topics discussed in the series : https://www.facebook.com/groups/305103749581152/

hey gamespot kids, the first bonus episode of that robin smith games thing is now available featuring the full interview with Lark Anderson direct Link here : http://t.co/Nk4nymeC

That Robin Smith Games Thing Episode 3 : Time is available now

How gaming has changed through the years and what
possible future it may have.

Guests : Joe Calvo, Lark Anderson, Matthew Erazo, Sophia Tong, Wallace Fajardo & Akhil Malhotra

direct feed is here : http://allyourgamearebelongtous.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/81

and you itunes fans : http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/digifox-presents-that-robin/id531386277

Gamespot uk are currently running a survey asking us about the website and gamespot at large. There's one section asking for comments about our thoughts on gamespot and its features. I thought i'd share what I added. On their off chance that someone who cares might read it here.

And to see what the general consensus is with other users here. no matter what the region.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the website has some community based features and staff they seem to have been neglected to some extent. For example the Fuse based features plus the original gamespot user page format and blogs, mixed with an overly full forum number and structure couple that with with highly out dated union feature. Unions are a still readily used feature but on the whole they are broken or in need of cross website unity.

Fuse also seems a mis-step. being in conflict with the original member pages. a real merging would be a great step forward, feature both features from the fuse pages and original pages and there's a chance things could work. Ive always wanted to be more involved in the forums and community but its feels so neglected and confused.

Also video uploads are out of date. limits on time. quality.

At this point in the games community at large is changing the way games are looked at and talked about. Leading a shift in the way gamespot and other websites do what they do. But, the very community that's driving these changes are given less ability to be involved in them.

Less focus on user soapbox's, video based content and spotlights leave much of the community feeling out in the cold. this should be the main focus of change for gamespot across all regions

The role of games as entertainment, how
people play and games compared to other entertainment mediums

This episode features guest spots from

Matthew Erazo,

Donna Nicholson,

Peter (nearly busts a blood vessel) Willington,

Lark (gamespots own) Anderson,

Dan "mr pointyhead" Maher

and Jake Del Toro,

talking about whether they feel games are a viable form of entertainment, if they have cultural value and if they have to be fun.

Direct feed : http://allyourgamearebelongtous.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/81

Itunes : http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/digifox-presents-that-robin/id531386277

UPDATE : just created is the official facebook group created for anyone wanting to discuss the show or the topics discussed in any episodes. All contributors have joined or been invited to be guests. So theres a chance they might be interested in talking about their views and opinions. feel free to join.

http://tinyurl.com/d8h9ycz

Ok here finally is the first episode of that robin smith games thing .


That Robin Smith Games Thing episode 1 : exposure

How people are introduced to games,
how games are sold to us and how that shapes us at an early age.

With talking head interviews from Brendan Sinclair, Paul Rooney, Peter Willington, Sophia Tong and Wallace Fajardo.



direct feed here : http://allyourgamearebelongtous.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/81

itunes users here : http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/digifox-presents-that-robin/id531386277

And it's us.

I need to make it clear now that i've been attempting to write this for a few days now. Maybe even a couple of weeks. I?ve just not had an idea of how to say what was on my mind. A lot of time I have issues with writing, not due to procrastination but instead due to a fear of saying things the right way. Its why work on my podcast series is taking longer then it should have and it?s why this has taken two weeks.

I worry that people will take what I want to say the wrong way or think i'm a moron for saying it.

With what I want to talk about the fear that prevented me was all the more palpable due to the nature of what is needed to say.

Why is all this important you are probably wondering, well its the way anyone who reads this may react that is more or less what this whole post is about.

See how things come full circle, amazing really.

So as I was saying we have a problem and that problem is us. More clearly we as in the gaming community as a whole, from gamers, to fans, to press, to developers to all the different people in the seams. We are riddled with ill will. It seems more and more to drive almost all that we do and direct us into feeling somehow more and more entitled.

There?s always been a feeling of aggressive negativity in the gaming community of course, fanboyisum is and has always been rife. Yet of late there seems to have been a ramping up of these feelings, a proliferation of anger, aggression and even; dare I say it; hate.

It's as most notable here on gamespot of late when two articles, bound to provoke a reaction of some kind no doubt, were posted up by writers Kevin VanOrd and Carolyn Petit.

Kevin happened to bring up being a gay man and Carolyn mentioned being transsexual, this is important to their individual lives and it?s entirely right that it would shape a massive part of who they are but also what they do, why and their views on things. Both articles were well written, enlightening and perfectly acceptable in my eyes as content on any website, even one about games.

What was a saddening sign of the times though was the % of people responding with an inherently negative gut reaction. Maybe the old phrase about the vocal minority was true but I fear it isn?t. Some we're upset because they felt that a post by these writers on gamespot was inappropriate. Some felt downright angry that it should be allowed at all. Others just showed ignorance and their own abusive views.

As a reviewer (unpaid and talentless i may be) you are open to negative or mixed reactions to what you write. Some people are blinded to the positive or negative traits that you might not be in what you?re dissecting. Give a game a low score and you?re bound to have a chunk of people complain or worse give you abuse. That?s something that?s part of the territory.

The sheer amount of disparaging remarks and views contained in the reactions to the aforementioned posts though is both worrying and unnecessary. Not only that it?s a sign of a worrying and growing trend. An ever rising intolerance for a diverse and different background amongst us as a community.

More and more so the majority has shifted to being more intolerant towards the thoughts, backgrounds and opinions of their fellow gamers. Why is this? Can?t anything be done about it? Is there anything Gamespot or other websites like it can do to change this shift in the community?s politics?

We, both as gamers and those of us as critics are at a massive point of change. Both in regard to the types of games made and sold how those games are made and sold and potentially most interesting of all. How the press and websites like gamespot itself look at games is changing.

Most striking of all it?s not been the games developers that have driven the change in games and how they are covered. Instead it?s been us, the users.

In my short time looking at and trying to find new ways to look at games i?ve met numerous people all trying different things. Attempting to use the online community, social media, video and audio formats and other experimental ways to look at games and gaming in ways never done before.

Now is the best time to be a gamer and to talk about games. The worry is, are the right people making enough noise or has the amount of aggressive and negative speakers out weighed them all.

In the run up to the release of the game fez Phil fish stated during a panel that ?all Japanese games just suck?. He later retracted the way he spoke but held onto his statement. That the Japanese games industry has some issues right now.

Agree or disagree with his general sentiments or the way he passed them onto the world, they were still just a view he had and only a view with regards to games.

Within a few hours there were people accusing the outspoken developer of being a racist and some even calling for his murder? These reactions were overblown to say the least. They are also a symptom of the crashing waves of negativity swelling in the gaming seas of late. Instead of looking calmly at what a man had said, large numbers of the community called him out as saying much worse with worse intent and called for his death. At the very least called for a boycott of his game.

Because of knee jerk reactions to one mans slightly overzealous misjudged views the community spouted nothing but hate. In a totally illogical manor.

The games industry is in its mid thirties now. Isn?t it about time we all started at least attempting to make it look more mature? And are websites like gamespot too busy attempting to shape the user experience around new ways to view content that they are forgetting to create new means for the very users who have inspired them to speak out themselves? Are they creating a situation that's building frustration and anger?

I personally think that the way games will be viewed and talked about this time 2015 will be nothing like it is now. I believe it will be a handful of people working only for the passion that will drive these changes and I believe that there's more people in our community with a positive view then a negative one. I just wonder if I'm right. And where people like me will be on a website like this in that 3 years time.

Then again taking into account how little sence i make at the best of times, probably not anywhere worth paying attention to.

Hello I'm rob, and I'm a collector.

"hello rob"

It's been a good week since i bought my last game and i feel ashamed.

Alright I'm not ashamed at all, but i am a little down. I used to love collecting games and would love also to have a house that's full of them. I'm not of the "keep em sealed" mentality believe me, every game Ive owned I've played normally for an excessive amount of time. I had a good few hundred games in my collection and i was happy. spoiled but happy.

Not too long ago though I started getting pain in my leg. Over time it became worse until eventually it made life difficult.

I left work and found myself out of a job with no money and both my partner and sister choosing to move out. It's all boo hoo i know, aside from pain in my back and leg, a weakening grip strength and constant headaches I'm generally happy and don't feel sorry for myself. This is certainly not what this post is about.

So as a result of my health issues I've been selling games and game related stuff on wherever i can. My collection is a shadow of its former self and i find myself clinging to the few gems i have left.

Loosing all these titles has been a mixed bag. Ill soon have more room, I can keep tidy and organised and have room to take a breath. Another result of this games exodus is my slow move of interest towards games on demand and downloadable games.

I'm in Europe, I have a ps3, wii, xbox360, psp, 3ds (for now) and pc.

If you look at all their downloadable catalogs in the uk combined that's about.

*shuffles away to count*

steam : 1019 plus

psn : (inc all consoles) 1222

and thow in xbox : 3127

and wii: 650 or so.

Not taking into account onlive and other pc based services. obv.

That's a whopping 5109 games at least I could never fit that many in my home reasonably. But I could easily buy them for all my accounts and keep them till i die. Unable to sell them on in times of need i can be sure that whatever happens they will always be there. wont they?

And here's the sticky bit. Ive personally spent a good few hundred on downloadable copies of games and dlc across all the systems i own. The one thing I don't know is just how safe all those games are.

The Idea of buying games as downloads is sound and i would easily be sold on it. But the cons are just too numerous.

* Not all games work if you are not connected to the internet. With the case of xbox live indie games NONE work. This sounds small but what if i loose my connection for an extended time? Or what if Microsoft suffers a hacking attack like Sony did and goes down for several weeks?

* I don't know if in the next generation of consoles that all the downloaded content will be supported on my old console. The ps4 eventually trundles into the world, everyone gets all tied up in its great looks and cool new games. What happens to my old games? If they are boxed items i can at least try and find a replacement console that plays them if my one breaks. But what if my account is also on this new console? What if online is no longer dedicated to the older system? And what happens to all that content I paid so much money for? Does that continue to work, and if its not compatible with my new system is it just tossed away?

* The cost still far out ways that of boxed products. Sure i like the idea of downloading the catalogue instead of paying for a boxed product to save space but if i pay for a game shouldn't it at least be at a competitive price against the new copy in-store? I could get resident evil gold edition in box for £15 pounds, why pay £20 for it on console?

* storage is limited and restricted. My xbox is just 250 gig. And that drive is full. i don't want to spend my time deleting things from my hard drive just to download something in 4 hours. And then to want to play the thing i deleted only to delete and download again. At least with the ps3 and wii we can freely upgrade the console hard drive space.

* It doesn't work ! Ok so i pay for something It should be mine outright. I paid and its only fair. Buy a disk copy of a game and you can play it on any console its compatible with. Get a downloadable copy of the game though and thats a different matter. Oh no says mr sony. only 5 downloads for you. (so in ten years if m 5th console breaks, my games lost forever). Oh no says mr wii. Your console is your account Break me and loose it all. Doesn't matter that things inevitably will break due to old age and use, all gone. money down the drain.

* Boxes and manuals. You will likely not agree with me, but a box and manual is important. Historically i mean. Sure the game itself is the most important component, but the box and book tell a story of the games release and its history. Its the thing the games sold on and often a stand out bit of art by itself. Sure the state of some box art is terrible and often they get covered in logos. but damn it. they are still an important part of history and deserve to be conserved as much as games should.

* Unnatural selection. This relates more to the classics on these services. While the idea of having an archive of classic games appeals to me its also going to be compiled on a number of factors. More often then not that will be "does this game work on this system" Not all older games will work and that's fine. Other times it'll be odd reasons. based on ownership of the original game and such.

Other times its just odd. Um jammer lammie is only available in the USA? god hand only in the UK? Why not all classic be the same range across all areas? I played um jammer lammie in the UK on disk so why not download?

While the way a classic download collection is complied is going to be open to unavoidable issues like this the fact of the matter is that some games will NEVER be supported. As such they will never be important enough to survive and will vanish. A game that was played by few people on disk will be unlikely to get bought by many as download. Although the quality of any game is fine for discussion all games should at least have an opportunity at attempted archival. Lest we loose a part of the history that brought us here.

I mean imagine if in ten years there were no working copies of super mario world. original or reissues. That would be a travesty.

The same should be said of any game, no matter what the quality.

* Just not available on time. OK so even if I'm willing to live with the difference in price between a game on shelf and on download why is it brand new games say for example mass effect 3, are released on disk and then 4 months later on demand.

Microsoft are worst for this, but both the consoles do it. If i have to pay full price (or more than) for the downloadable copy then at least make it an option on day 1. If I have to wait at least make it comparable to the disk price at time of the downloadable editions release.

It cant be that hard or costly to do.

Anyway I'm done now. I need to sort through my penny jar and see if Ive got enough for a can of cider.

So I've been quietly working away on a personal project over the last few months. Called simply (for now) the robin smith games thing it's a podcast born out of an idea.

Simply put, what can I do to make what I think heard and more importantly stand out both as different and well crafted. I'd started becoming bored of the giant bombs of the video game podcast world and wanted to hear and see something different. Not that there's anything wrong with all that. Sticking to a format is fine and dandy by my book. Hell it's a format I've followed myself.

But the point of digifox and all i do is to try something else. It's why I choose to avoid using review "scores". If you never use it then it can never be used against you in any negative way.

the original thought that struck me was "why not attempt to apply narrative to the factual structure. Can I review games while also telling a story? It's doesn't make sense does it. But maybe that's because no ones ever done it before.

This led to another idea. Make a series, 4 experimental video shows each attempting something different with regards to video game based programming.

Narrative, surreal, elitist and deconstructive. Four titles that would also reflect the eventual style of the shows.

It's still my hope to make these shows. eventually.

But for now i thought I'd stick with the idea of basing a series around single episode themes. Test the waters so to speak. So I sat down and constructed a 13 episode show.

Episode titles are 1. Exposure. : how people are introduced to games,
how games are sold to us and how that shapes us at an early age.
Episode 2: entertainment. The role of games as entertainment, how
people play and games compared to other entertainment mediums.
Episode 3: time. How gaming has changed through the years and what
possible future it may have.
Episode 4: obsession. The addictive qualities games may have if any
and how it could be avoided prevented. If its real at all.
Episode 5: Fear. How games portray emotions other than fun or joy. Not
just a look at inducing fear but all other emotions.
Episode 6: clans. Both a look at how gaming teams or clans form but at
why people tend to choose to take a side when provided a choice.
Episode 7 : Sin. Games as a sinful activity and why they are seen that
way by some sections of that population.
Episode 8: sport. Games use of sport as a subject matter, how well
some games represent sport and what effect it can have on fitness.
Episode 9: Roaming . The big sandbox of freedom and just how much
freedom do we really have to play in the worlds presented to us.
Episode 10: Story. How good can the narrative of games be and can a
game really be a life changing experience .
Episode 11: Innovation. How video games both adapt and improve. Also
how they can drive innovations in real life.
Episode 12: Emotion . A games ability, if any, to induce an emotional
response from those of us playing and those around us.
Episode 13: goals. The motivations games tend to give us to play, win
and sometimes better ourselves. For better it worse.

The shows will be (hopefully) half hour long deals with the bulk of the shows written by me, some bits provided by friends, and interviews with a list of others contributors.

Im already in the middle of recording interviews now and scripting all the bulk of the show.

As for who's in those interview/guest spots. Some well known some not.

with people from pocket gamer, gamespot, games radar, ready up, last save loaded, true geek media and others it should make for a good series or a terrible failure.

This blog will cover the episodes and the production of the show as a whole. so follow and enjoy. or not. your call.